Eternity
by rain0205
Summary: "Wolves mate for life. I love you Youko Kurama." "I love you Moriko Chie. I will come and find you, be sure of it," He calls to her body, the blood falling with her angering him. He sees the pregnant human, resting his spirit inside the unborn child.
1. Prologue

alrighty.. this has been in my head for some time.. so here we go! i own my characters and ideas

_Part 1_

_It was a bright day in demon world. In the forest was a clearing, and in that clearing was a gathering of plants, and inside this small den laid two demons. One was male, a fox, and in his strong arms, a female, a wolf. They laid on their bed of leaves, staring into the sky. He pulls her closer, resting his head on hers. His fingers interlaced with hers, careful not to dig his claws into her. Their bare feet dangled, staying close to one another as they laid there. He nuzzles his face behind her ear, and then looks down at his beloved. He brings a hand down to where her belly __begins to swell. He smiles, his young bringing pride to him._

_She lets out a small and content sigh, closing her eyes for a few moments. He brings his hand lower, and nips at her ear playfully. They kiss, and then they make love, happy their enclosure shields them away from any possible onlookers. Today was a quiet day, a day of resting. No bandits, just the two of them and their time. The passion in their love hadn't died in centuries, and it would continue to burn for the rest of their lives. She had refrained from their raids at his insistence, the young being more important. He too would stop and raise his family, continue on his legacy at a later year._

_"Youko," she speaks, a sound he would never tire of, "the demon hunters are becoming more serious. I fear for our young, they are intent on capturing the both of us."_

_"Not to worry beloved, I will not let any harm come to you or our young," he responds in that soothing voice that never ceases to calm her. "Is the vision troubling you?"_

_"Yes. There was no other alternative to it, unlike the others, this one seemed absolute," she put a hand to her womb, where their creatures were growing._

_He put his hand on top of hers, giving it a reasuring squeeze, "I will not let such events take place."_

_She turns to face him, her tawny eyes meeting his golden ones. He is sincere, and even a bit fierce. She rubs her cheek against his, happy that life granted her such a wonderful gift. They kiss once more, letting their emotions run away with them. He rolls to be on top of her, minding her womb._

_"Maybe you should not spend so much time dwelling on it," he suggests to her._

_She smiles, "What is time to a wolf?"_

_He smirks, "I meant, do not let such thoughts cloud your mind beloved. Even if that is to happen, I will come for you. I just hope that you will do the same for me," he speaks to her, his eyes never leaving hers._

_"Wolves mate for life, never forget that Youko."_

_"I love you my ookami."_

_"And I love you my precious kitsune."_

_She pulls him down for a kiss, and they make love in their den once more._

* * *

_"Youko!" she cries as they run from his latest raid. He looks in her direction, and sees her face full of fear. He sees red stained on her clothes from her side, close to where their young was growing._

_"What is it koishii? What happened?" he asks, anger forming inside of him._

_"They're coming Youko! We have to get out of here!" she looks behind her, voice full of panic. He looks in the same direction and a growl escapes his throat. The demon hunter was on their tails. He throws the artifact in his hands away, grabs her hand and they dash forward. This hunter however, is prepared and fire's another shot at them._

_"Shit, he's fast!" he exclaims, picking up the pace. They run for their lives, dodging shots that try to claim them. Their spirit forms take over, a silver fox and a white wolf. They continue to run, counting on the hunter to get tired while the two of them could run for days. They are not so fortunate however, the hunter increases his pace._

_"Our only chance is to escape into the world of the living," his beloved ookami tells him. He knows this, but does not wish for her vision to be complete. They continue to run, not growing weary or fatigued in the slightest. The hunter then fire's three shots in a row, the first missing, the the other two hitting the both of them. She was already injured, and now he saw that her womb was hurt. His side was also hit._

_"Come, we must hurry!" he urges her. They run, narrowly escaping the hunter's next attack. They are weak, and cannot sustain life the way they are._

_"You know what must be done Youko. We must rest," she tells him, as they start to fall in opposite directions._

_"Do not forget me beloved," he tells her, seeing his target clearly._

_"Wolves mate for life. I love you, Youko Kurama."_

_"I love you Moriko Chie. I will come and find you, be sure of it," he calls to her body, the blood falling with her angering him. He sees the pregnant human, resting his spirit inside the unborn child. He does not know the fate of his beloved, nor how long it will take to find her again, but he will search to the ends of this world and the next, until she is found._

...

Shuuichi Minamino awoke from his dream in a cold sweat. This wasn't the first time that this dream had come to him, it started when he was aware of the presence, Youko Kurama, inside his body. Youko Kurama was a demon fox from demon world, escaped to the human world to save himself from dying. He was a legendary bandit, who was hunted by the demon hunters. He took residence in Shuuichi, who was unborn at the time and rested until his power would surface once again. Shuuichi became aware of this presence around the age of twelve.

Since that age, he had trained himself in a few branches martial arts, helping his counter part on the way to strength, and knowing that the presence inside him would attract other apparitions. One in particular was Hiei, who was the first to find him after he had completed all of his training. Youko had shown him how to use his powers, but they would never be to his full extent until he was able to emerge as his true self. Because of such, Shuuchi was never alone, and could have a conversation internally for hours.

There were times when he was not sure who he was. To his mother, and his classmates, he was Shuuchi. To everyone else who challenged him, he was the fighter, Kurama. Underneath both of those persona's lay the dormant Youko Kurama, who had not yet regained the power to come out yet. Or maybe he had, and the way do to so had not been heard of yet.

Shuuichi felt all the feelings of his demon counterpart, because the two seemed to be merging into one. He had this dream more often than not. Youko and his wolf mate, Moriko were together for centuries, a bond so strong that he could never forget it. What more, she was carrying his young, and their fates were not in favour of her vision.

Moriko Chie, the wolf demon was a telepath, who would have visions into the future. It helped her with what course to take when her and Youko would make their raids. Wolves loved to play, and the joy of the hunt was more rewarding than the treasures they came out with. There was a group of them, and Moriko was the only female worthy enough to keep up with the rest of them, the only one daring to live for the moment. Shuuichi knew this story, and how they had become lovers in the first place. She had left her clan nearly eight hundred years after her birth, making her way in life. Maybe three hundred years later, that's when Youko came into her den to acqiure the seal of the wolf clan.

Moriko was no fool, she knew of the bandit and laid traps for him, traps that he avoided. She caught him as he came to its resting place, and she defeated him. Youko was impressed and captivated, and kept trying again every few years or so. This went on for nearly five hundred years, the two of them would play. Before long, he would just drop in and steal nothing, or make sure that she caught him. One night, she was taken from her den by two members of her former clan.

Youko did one of his random drop ins, only to find her gone and evidence of a struggle. He also noticed that the seal was gone, and so, furious, he pursued them. It did not take him long, although the trail wasn't very fresh, he was lucky that it did not grow cold. Youko defeated the wolf demons, and saved Moriko. He brought her safely back to her den and she willingly gave him the seal. He kissed her instead, realizing that he did not always come back for the seal, but just to see her.

They mated that night, Moriko making Youko very aware that wolves mated for life. He told her that he wouldn't have it any other way. They hibernated for a week, him teaching her to improve her fighting skills and agility. And then Youko decided it would be time to rejoin the bandits. She agreed, knowing that now, he was the pack leader. She proved her worthiness, and for a few centuries, they hunted down what they needed. Demon hunters started to enter their world, and that's the story thus far. Youko did not know the fate of Moriko or his young, but he was starting to urge Shuuichi to start the hunt for her.

The teenager agreed, feeling the strength of his feelings for the wolf demon. He could not, however, start his search yet, seeing as his human mother, Shiori, had fallen ill. Hiei had recruited him, Kurama and another demon named Gouki, to steal the three objects of demon world. The item he was after was the Dark Mirror. Luckily, this wouldn't be too hard, seeing as he was a legendary bandit, and with Hiei's agility and Gouki's strength, it might as well be his. He planned on using it to grant his wish, that his human mother survive, seeing as she raised and had done everything she should have for him. It was the least he could do for her.

It unnerved him a bit that this dream would be showing up so vividly now. Youko's patience must have been running out, or maybe he was being haunted by his thoughts. It had been fifteen years since he last saw his beloved, stained in blood, falling from the sky.

_-Please Shuuichi, help me find my koishii, she is very much apart of me as she is to you-_

-I will help. But first, let me tend to our human mother, it's not fair that she should die-

-_Very well-_

-Have you ever gotten the feeling that we would cross paths?-

_-Yes. And I think that the memory coming to us in a dream is a sign of sorts. I think you have a visitor-_

"Kurama," said Hiei in his emotionless tone.

"What brings you here Hiei?" Kurama asks, catching his scent before he spoke.

"Hn. Still thinking about the mate of your past life?"

"I believe I have asked you to restrain yourself from reading my thoughts."

"Hn. She's probably dead you know."

"Perhaps. Is there a reason you decided to come here?"

"In three days time, that's when we'll be ready. Don't be late."

"Understood," Kurama replied. Hiei jumped out of sight, making it look as if he vanished to the untrained eye. His thoughts went back to Moriko and his dream. He had to admit that the human part yearned to find her, but it would have to wait until Shiori was well again, until he could get his wish.

...

Unknowing to him, a girl on the other side of the city woke up to the same dream. San Chiya woke up in her bed, shooting up and looking around. These dreams had been plaguing her for years. She understood why, she was a wolf demon, the one they called Moriko Chie. The spirit of this demon was locked inside of her, but San was not human at first. When Moriko had separated from her lover, Youko Kurama, she could not find a body. She instead, remained a wolf and hit the ground, hard. She could faintly hear a voice, and her vision was blurred. She succumbed to the darkness, accepting death, but hoping her young would find a way to survive.

When Moriko awoke, she found a strange and small old woman with faded pink hair above her. She was still a wolf, but her wounds were healing, that much she could tell. She smelled her surroundings, moving slowly at the insistence of the human she learned to be called Genkai. Realization dawned on her though, she could no longer feel the presence of her young. She cried out in a sorrowful howl, mourning the loss of them. She knew the fate of them, but still could not prepare herself for such pain. That demon hunter had taken everything from her, and now she was powerless to sink her fangs into his flesh.

Genkai knew that she was no ordinary wolf. Moriko telepathically explained everything to the old woman, and thanked her for saving her life, but insisted on starting her hunt for Youko. Genkai refused, reminding her that he was still not even born yet, and that the timing was not right. Over the period of fifteen years, Genkai worked with the wolf to try and take a human form. It succeeded after eight years of concentration, as it took nearly two years to recover fully, body and mind. Moriko took on the form of a human girl, with sun touched hair, but keeping her tawny coloured eyes.

It took a bit of time to get used to walking on hind legs again after being on four paws for eight years. After such, Genkai did the only thing she knew to do, train her in martial arts. Genkai also helped her focus her spirit energy and manipulate plants, like most animal spirits could. Since the sun seemed to affect Moriko the most, the old psychic decided to name her San. That was her human identity, and she would live at the temple with the old woman, so long as she pulled her weight. San's powers were returning quickly, but it was not enough to be able to turn back into her demon form.

At night, she would turn into her white wolf form, and hunt for the one she was looking for. There seemed to be no trace of him, but that was to be expected, seeing as he needed rest as well. Although Genkai was serious, San was still a wolf on the inside, and felt she had a new chance at life, therefore, liked to play. She made friends with many of the creatures in the forest, climbing every tree possible. Apparitions were naturally attracted to the temple, solely for the reason of Genkai's reputation. None of them were strong enough to be aware of Moriko's presence there. To cover up, she was a relative from out of town that was orphaned and then sent to her care.

San had refrained from continuing her hunt for the past week, seeing as Genkai thought it was important that her training become more intence. She was recently fifteen, meaning that her search was going to have more progress, or so she saw in a vision. It was clouded, all she could see was red hair, and the familiar scent that she could never forget. The time was nearing, but would he know of it? Genkai was famous for the spirit wave technique, but both of them knew that San was not the one destined to inherit it.

"Wake up slacker. It's time for some breakfast and then some training," Genkai slid her door open, commanding her and then leaving. San moved quickly, knowing the patience of the old woman. She sat at the table, just picking at her food, the dream on her mind still.

"I take it you had that dream again," it was not a question, but a statement.

"Yes master Genkai," San replied, still poking at her food.

"You're a telepathic seer, you should know what these mean by now. How about today you clean up and then go get some groceries. I think it's time to went into civilization, you're starting to get dull and lifeless."

"Yes ma'am," she said with enthusiam, saluting her jokingly. Genkai cracked a small smile, going unnoticed by the teen in front of her.

The train ride into the city was a long one. She noticed that there were a lot of students on the train as well, meaning that it was a day off school. San did not attend school, getting basic education in the temple. It was a big hassle to go to a school where she lived, seeing as there weren't any close to her. Besides, she wasn't really human to begin with. Her stop finally came and she got off the train, heading towards the main shopping district. Genkai wasn't picky with her foods, and supported a lot of San's favourites. The wolf would prefer hunting for the food, but there were some things she just couldn't kill or grow.

She was walking along the street, passing store's and becoming distracted. While she loved the city, she still liked the peace of nature at the temple. Besides, her only friend was Genkai, and that suited her well enough. She continued on her journey following her keen sense of smell to a flower shop nearby. Just as she was approaching the stand, another scent caught her, one so familiar. She looked around, but there were just humans around. Then, in front of her, was a boy, a teen, with long red hair. He must have sensed her, because he turned to look directly at her. His green eyes were studying, and San knew that he was not an ordinary human.

Kurama looked over at the demon he sensed watching him and was surprised to see tawny eyes on him.

_-Those eyes...- _Youko drifted in the depths of his mind.

-Yes, I feel it too-

_-All I smell is human. The only thing is the eyes. I do not think she is the one Shuuichi-_

-Perhaps it is a sign that we are getting closer-

Youko was quiet, and Kurama went back to inspecting flowers. San approached the stand, startled for only a minute. She observed the flowers, while keeping an eye on the boy that smelled of demon. She grabbed three tiger lilies, not going unnoticed by Kurama, who knew that it was the favourite flower of Moriko. She made her purchase and left shortly after. She made sure the boy was not looking before she darted into and alleyway and jumped to the roof. She transformed herself into the white wolf, catching the scent of the boy. He was picking roses, paid for them and was about to walk when in a swift movement, stashed one into his hair.

She followed him, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, knowing that it would be unwise to walk the streets of the city as a wolf. He led her to the hospital, where she could not follow. She tried looking in all the rooms until she caught his red hair. There, he gave the roses to a woman laying on one of the hospital beds. San tried hard, but could not hear what they were saying. She could not see the woman, so she only caught half of the conversation, reading the boys lips.

He left the hospital a couple of hours later, and San resumed her tracking. She caught another scent behind her, but ignored it, this was more important. She watched as the boy turned into an alleyway, and then stopped.

"I know you're there. Please, show yourself, I would like to know who takes such and interest in me," he announced, facing the entrance. San gasped, well, as best as a wolf could gasp, and froze. She was relieved when a being stepped out of the shadows in front of the boy.

"Kurama," the wolf's eyes widened, and then sensing an attack, growled, "I can't believe you'd take residence with these filthy humans."

"And I suppose you'd just prefer to eat them. Why else would you have crossed the barrier?" Kurama replies. San knew that this apparition wanted to attack him, and was prepared for the kill. It had been some time since she last fought for real. She prepared herself, trying to sence anything else around the two of them.

The demon came running at him, but Kurama was too quick for him, pulling out his rose whip. He went to attack, but the apparition seemed to be expecting that, and grabbed the whip. He used the advantage and threw Kurama into the wall, hard, making it crack. Kurama looked up at his attacker, getting ready to plant a seed of some sort to help him out. The demon grew closer, and just when Kurama was getting ready to attack, a growling white wolf was suddenly upon his enemy.

Kurama stood, startled at what he was seeing. The wolf bit at the demons neck and it severed instantly. It then turned to him, still snarling. He once again, was getting ready when the wolf lunged, swiftly. He prepared himself for the pain but when he felt the wind of the creature passing him, he turned and saw Hiei wrestling with it. Hiei was trying to keep it's jaws from sinking into his flesh, after witnessing what happened to the other demon just mere seconds ago.

"Get off you stupid beast, I don't plan on hurting the fox!" Hiei yelled at it. He managed to throw the wolf, counting on it to hit the wall, but it was fast and landed on its feet.

"It's alright, he's an ally," Kurama said calmly to the creature. The wolf ceased it's growling and walked over to Kurama, sitting in front of it. For the second time today, he looked into tawny eyes, the same ones that belonged to Moriko. But how?

"I didn't know you were into pets Kurama," said Hiei, still eyeing the creature.

"This is the first I've seen of it. I am in debt to it however," Kurama replied, looking away from it's eyes before it caused him internal pain.

"A fox and a wolf, now why does that sound familiar?"

"Don't," said Kurama in a dangerous tone, narrowing his eyes.

"Hn. It's female incase your wondering. The bitch is also telepathic, so I'm sure the two of you will get along well," at the word bitch, San bared her teeth at the fire apparition called Hiei.

"Is that why you've been following me then?"

"Partly. You're friend here has been following you for nearly an hour, and the demon for longer. I didn't know which to kill first, but seeing as she won't harm you, then I guess it's your problem."

"And the other thing?"

"Meeting's been moved to tomorrow instead. Something came up that will make tomorrow a better time to strike. Don't be late," and with that, Hiei jumped out of sight. Kurama was left with the strange wolf.

* * *

and that's what i got.. please give me some feedback, because i'm not sure if i should continue this or not.. pleeeeeeeeeease? hahaha

to jinyai the great... i should've explained further and proof read before i published.. for that i apologize.. so to any readers that agree with the contradictions, here is the explanation behind it...

the wolf defeated youko out of sheer luck, it was a struggle, but i have not yet writen that particular memory, so it will be explained in time.

again, the memory of her rescue has not been written, but the element of surprise does wonders for some people, that will also be explained.

as to why he trains her after she had already defeated him once, she is not a thief, so she can be careless when sneaking around, he does not train her in combat, but in the depth of improving her stealth, seeing as the memory as to why she left her clan has also not been writen.

why did she participate in the raid? well, she didn't, but she didn't stray too far from the gang, for the sake of her vision.. the demon hunters had found her, and she ran to youko, to warn him of their coming, hence the wound when he sees her, but that is also a memory yet to be writen, and i apologize for my sloppy wording and misunderstandings.

as for genkai, while she may be cold, she is still a woman, and although she hates demons, this one posed no threat to her, and she was prepared to take action if such a thing happened, although, the strength of my character was weaked, and she appeared to be an ordinary wolf until she told genkai of her true nature, that's where "she is still a woman" fits in.. genkai knew of her loss, and knew that when a person loses everything, they chose two paths, they either lose the will to fight, or they go on a blood thirsty vengeance. in the wolfs weakened state, genkai knew that it wouldn't be much of a hassle to take on the demon

i hope that this explains everything, and again, i apologize for my sloppiness.. i will revise and i hope that you and more of you review again, hopefully all your questions will be answered

thank you for the feedback, and again, i'm sorry


	2. Meeting in Mystery

Kurama was left with the white wolf. She stared at him, with the same tawny eyes that once belonged his Moriko, his demon counter part's mate. The wolf was obviously not a threat to him, since she had nearly bit the head off of Hiei, and did sever the head of the apparition that tried to corner him in this alleyway. But who was she? What did she want? Why did she chose him? All these questions could not be answered, since he did not know how to communicate with her.

Hiei had said she was a telepath, but she did not try to talk to him, only sat, and stared. It seemed as if she was searching for something, and her eyes foretold of an age far greater than her appearance. Kurama stared back at her gaze, feeling the pain of Youko inside him. This was the last thing he saw of his beloved fifteen years ago, only this time, she wasn't covered in blood. He put his rose whip away, and moved towards the wolf. She sat, watching him approach and didn't budge. He stopped in front of her, and put a hand on her head.

-One wonders why you are doing that?- said the wolf, crystal clear in his mind. Kurama was startled, and pulled his hand back.

-I wish to see if you mean to cause me any harm,- he replied, hoping she could hear him.

-One would've bitten off your head if one chose to, and you would be dead.-

-I thank you for your help. May I ask your name?-

-Wolves have no need of names- she replied. Youko gasped, having heard Moriko say the same thing to him when they had first met.

-Very well...-

-One wonders why you walk around like a man-thing. One can sense that is not your true form.-

-You are very perseptive. My true form is resting, unable to take shape because of a power loss.-

-When will one witness such a form?-

-The timing is unknown. I am certain you possibly have something better to do with it?-

-What is time to a wolf?- again Youko gasped. Kurama himself was startled, knowing much about his former mate, and knowing that this wolf behaved in the same mannerism. How was this possible?

-Well, again, I thank you, but I must return home now. Good-bye friend,- said Kurama, turning to leave.

-One will find you at your den when the light returns.-

-If you wish. I trust you will be able to find me?-

-Yes. One's nose has not hunted for years, but can still find whatever one pleases.-

-Very well,- Kurama dismissed, leaving the alleyway. He turned once more and found that the wolf had vanished from her post. He sighed, absently wondering where she might have gone to. Her words were very similar to Moriko, the eyes the exact same, the shape the same, everything about her was the same. Yet, there was not a reason for him to believe it truly was her.

_-I did not catch her scent in the slightest. I cannot believe it is her Shuuichi.- _said Youko in his mind while they walked home.

-It is a possibility, but there is no evidence proving it.-

-_No evidence? Have you gone blind? Her eyes are the exact same as my beloved, as OUR beloved now!-_

-I understand Youko, but I do not wish us to become deluded with false hope. If she reveals herself to be Moriko, or gives us more than just a few words as a sign, then we should consider it. She's a smart wolf, she knows that you are there, but cannot feel you yet.-

_-I need to find her Shuuichi. WE need to find her. We need to know if she still lives, or if our young do.-_

-Understood.-

_..._

_She runs, fearing for her life, away from the forest she once called her den. The clan had dismissed her, for false accusations. She was framed, that much was true, but by who, she did not know. Her vision was complete now, she was fleeing away from her home, and her place of birth deep in the Makai, the demon world. She was a wolf demon, once the ruler of her clan, and now, an outcast. She knows where she has to go, and she knows how to lose the pups on her tail. She is tall, slender, with tawny hair and tawny eyes. Being a ruler had made her who she was, and now all she could do was escape, the seal of the wolf clan clutched in her hand. There was only one way to get away, and that was to turn into her spirit form, the white wolf._

_She is much faster this way than on hind legs. With the seal in her teeth, she runs for days away from her former home. There is no turning back, she has to find a new den. Her destiny awaits her, after eight hundred years, she is ready for it. Her journey comes to a slight delay, seeing as she had not eaten for a while. There were many creatures about, but she hunts for her food, like any of her kind would do. Finally, she comes to it, the den in the forest she has seen in her vision. It was near the tallest tree in the whole Makai. She sees the familiar rock formation, and uses her demon energy to open an entrance into the ancient cave that lies within._

_The cave is much bigger than she expects, and the stone closes, acting as a door, to keep intruders out. She walks down the path, her eyes adjusting to the light. There, at the end, she sees where the small source of light was coming from, and she finds herself inside the huge and hollow tree. It is completely uninhabited, seeming to just wait for her arrival. She looks around, knowing that she will need furniture and other things to make it her den, with the help of her ability to manipulate nature, like all animal apparitions could do. This does not take her very long, and soon, she is living there happy, a lone wolf, for a good two hundred years or so._

_That was when the next part of her vision becomes clear, more vivid. She sees her intruder coming soon, the legendary bandit, Youko Kurama. His silver hair and golden eyes were not unknown to the demons around her forest. He was going to come for her seal, the story of her dismissal clear to the public. The wolves did not reveal her name, for the sake of their own hides, not for hers. The story went so far as she died, but that didn't mean it was true, and Youko was going to prove that._

_He takes this mission alone. He does not know what to expect, but he knows he does not need his companions. He smells a scent, one that he had never smelled before, and follows it. He comes to the only tree of its kind in all of Makai, and sniffs around, the scent all over the area, marking a terrirtory. He sees a rock, and just like she had before, uses his demon energy to move it. He walks in on silent feet, following his nose to that wonderful aroma. He comes to the faint light in the distance, seeing not a soul, but knowing that someone or something is there._

_As he approaches, a small sound reaches his ears, and two deathly staked piece of wood come at him from either side. He dodges them and continues on. He senses energy everywhere around him in the tunnel. He turns to look down, and sees a vine beginning to grow at his feet. He knows this plant, having used it many times himself. He uses his power to fend the plant off, and walks on. He comes to the inside of the tree, where the wolf sleeps, and looks around for her._

_He walks to the seal, hanging on a made branch of the tree. She makes her move, but he senses her before her foot makes contact with his face. He throws her to the other side of the den, but she uses her feet to push off and lunge at him. He cannot stop her force, and it pushed into the wall of the tree. He punches her, making her step back. She stands a few feet in front of him, tawny eyes defiant. He is captivated, never seeing a creature such as her. She uses that moment and takes him down in one graceful move, his body on the floor, his arm twisted behind his back, and her foot at his neck._

_"How dare you defile my home demon!" she speaks in a harsh voice, dripping with malice._

_"You have something I want, give it to me," he replies, only, slightly flirtatious._

_"Never!"_

_"What's your name?"_

_"Wolves have no need of names. __Now leave this place, or you will not have your life."_

_"I will leave, but I will be back for it, ookami. I will not be defeated so easily next time."_

_"You will not live on our next meeting kitsune, keep that in mind."_

_She releases him, knowing that he will honor his word as a fellow canine. He stands to stare of her one last time, taking in all he can before he decides to make his return. He knows he will not forget her, nor her scent. She stares back at him, her tawny eyes softer than before. He winks at her, and then makes his escape, looking back only once, to see that unblinking stare, before he takes off into the night. She smiles a bit, not expecting this encounter to turn out this way._

...

_He runs towards the tree, the one where the wolf demon dwells. He enters her home, smelling her intoxicating aroma everywhere. The den had changed in the past fifty years, since he had first come there. The smell of food reaches his nostrils, but he goes to where he remembers the seal is, that being his target. He reaches her room, but no trace of his item is anywhere. He walks to the fire, seeing her in front of her cauldron of food. Her tail, glossy and fluffy, swaying in a slow motion as he could hear a slight hum. He walks towards her, his feet making no sound. He reaches out his hand, and feels the full force of her elbow after grabbing a handful of her behind._

_"I thought I told you that you would die the next time you came here," she says to him, glaring down at her intruder._

_"And I told you that next time, I will not be defeated so easily," he replies, standing a couple feet in front of her, looking down into her tawny eyes._

_"Foolish kitsune. I will not have mercy on you this time."_

_"So you keep telling me," he smiles a bit suggestively at her, his golden eyes full of mischief. She narrows hers a bit, wondering what he was up to. In the blink of an eye, he disappears, only to reappear behind her. She drops her wooden spoon, feeling a chill go down her spine at his proximity. "I'd like to see how you are without mercy," he purrs in her ear, causing her to blush slightly. She regains her composure and turns to face him. She reaches out to him, her hand going underneath his clothing and feeling his bare chest. She finds what she is searching for, and holds the seal in her hand._

_"Well, it seems the famous kitsune is not as sly as he thinks," she smirks at him, keeping a firm grip on the seal while she shows him that she found it._

_"Well done ookami. I think introductions are in order. Since you know I'm famous, you must know who I am. Who might you be?"_

_She raises a brow, debating on whether to reveal herself yet or not. Finally, she consents, "Moriko Chie, former ruler of the wolf clan."_

_"I thought you were. You're as famous as I am, and a delinquent. I will be seeing you again Moriko, to claim what is mine."_

_"You will not escape with your life next time."_

_He smiles at her before once again, taking his leave. She stares in his direction, sensing his presence becoming fainter as the minutes go by. What is her fate with this fox, Youko Kurama? She knows he will be back again, and when he comes again, she will be ready for him._

_..._

San opened her eyes slowly, after reliving that memory of her past life. The light of day was directly in her eyes, and all she could see was red, like the hair on the Kurama boy she had met last night as a wolf. The faint scent of Youko was upon him, though the only outward sign he showed was being called a fox and using the rose whip. This boy was apart of her vision, she knew that she had to follow him more, know more about him before she would decide to continue on her hunt.

She sat up in her bed, knowing that Genkai would be in there soon to get her up. She was grateful to the old woman for everything she had done so far, and didn't want to disappoint her. She was about to stand when she saw a flash of light. She shut her eyes tightly, letting the vision take over so she could see it clearly. There, was Genkai's temple, her current place of dwelling. There were fighters, near the swamp of the lands, passed the forest. There were three fighters left, one badly injured with orange hair, lying on the ground. Another, a shadow of evil, and the other, a boy, full of spirit energy. He looked familiar, as if she had seem him some where before.

Genkai was standing on the sidelines near the badly hurt boy, with a girl who had curiously blue hair and pink eyes. She was not human, only three of the crowd were. Her vision then began to branch off, like most of them did. She saw Genkai in both, on one side with the evil shadow, and on the other, the boy. Genkai's spirit wave was what they were both after. She saw the shadow learn the technique, and then devour her master. The boy was taught, and her master was well and even a little annoyed. Next, she saw the light again, indicating her vision was now over. She opened her eyes to see the small old woman standing in her door way.

"Vision?" Genkai inquired in her raspy voice.

"Yes. The next taker for your spirit wave should be arriving shortly. But like most of my visions, there is a darker side. There is a demon apparition who also wishes to claim your knowledge, and then kill you. You must make sure you don't teach the wrong one master Genkai," San revealed her vision, looking at the pink haired old woman with worry.

"I am old. I will teach it to whomever completes my tasks, be it human or demon."

"But-"

"No buts San. Now get ready, I know you're itching to follow this demon you found, the one from your vision."

"Yes master Genkai."

She sat on the pillow around the table, once again, just picking at her food. She was never a morning person, not even in her former life, but Genkai was good to her, she wasn't going to start with disrespect. She looked at the stack of old newspapers sitting in the corner. She saw a picture of the boy who got hit by a car trying to save a little kid. She examined the picture from her seat, and the image of the boy from her vision flashed in her head. She walked up, and grabbed the paper.

"Genkai, it's this boy, the one from my vision. Yusuke Urameshi. He's the one that will be coming to your temple," San said urgently, showing her the picture.

"I'm pretty sure that's Koenma's new detective. It wouldn't surprise me that he would send him up here for training. I guess it's absolute, I must announce this soon."

"But, why can't you just train him, without the demon?"

"Because I don't have much of a conscience like you do."

"Genkai, that doesn't make much sense."

"You are still too young to understand."

"Might I remind you master Genkai, that while I may have the appearance of a fifteen year old girl, I am actually in fact over two thousand years old. By my standards, that is not young."

"For a demon it is. Now get out of here, you're starting to annoy me."

"Yes master Genkai."

San remained in her human form to ride the train into town. She did not know where she would go, or how to start her search for the Kurama fellow. She decided to go to the place where she first saw him, in case he was there again. The train ride seemed long, but it didn't bother her. There was one more stop before hers, and she saw the fighter with orange coloured hair hop on and sit across from her. She was amazed, but was discreet about her observations of him. She caught his scent, getting the feeling that she would need it.

"Seriously Kuwabara, why do you keep fighting him? You always lose," said the boy on his left.

"I'll get him one day. Urameshi won't see it coming!" declared Kuwabara. San's ear twitched at the name Urameshi.

"Just look at your face, how can you possibly take more damage?" the boy on his right piped in.

"I told you, I'm fine! I'll get him tomorrow, you'll see."

San laughed inwardly at him. No wonder in her vision he was so badly injured, he didn't seem to know when to quit. She admired his spirit, gave him one last glance before getting off the train and into the city. How coincidental she share a train ride with one from her vision? She followed her nose to the smell of fresh flowers, the tiger lilies in particular. She took her time however, feeling no need to rush. She took her shoes off, hating them her whole human life, and carried them in one hand, her long skirt flowing behind her. It was green, and she wore a white spaghetti strapped tank top, loving the last breeze of summer.

She continued on, mindful of the busy humans and their shoes. The wind blew her sun touched hair, and she caught a whiff of Kurama in it. She increased her pace a bit, pushing through people until she saw him in the same spot as yesterday. He was looking at roses again, quite possibly for the same reason as before. She approached the vendor, being careful not to startle him. It was to no avail though, he looked right into her tawny eyes, the green orbs curious, and then moving to take in the rest of her.

Kurama felt a pull towards her, as if he was instantly attracted. He couldn't help it, and the fact that she shared the same eyes as Moriko and the mysterious wolf last night was intriguing. He saw that she wore no shoes, and noted that she had very pretty feet. He turned his attention back to the roses, keeping an eye on her as she slowly walked towards where he stood.

_-We are mated for life Shuuichi...- _Youko reminded him

-I know. But, she is very beautiful, you cannot deny that.-

_-No, for a human she is. So much like Moriko, I can see why we would be attracted to her. But we cannot, we are mated for life.-_

-Understood. I am sure that nothing inappropriate will take place.-

"San, so good to see you again. I'm surprised you've come out two days in a row," said the elderly florist.

"I felt that it was necessary sir. How are you doing?" the girl called San replied.

"Good, very good. Have you met Shuuichi here? He's as fascinated with my greenery as much as you are," the man gestured towards Kurama. He looked over at this strange girl, and offered her a polite smile.

"Hello, I'm Shuuichi Minamino," said Kurama, extending a hand.

She smiled back at him, "San Chiya," she greeted, taking his hand. When they made contact, the image of Moriko and Youko appeared in front of them for a split second. They were both startled, staring at each other. Kurama was the first to regain his composure.

"Eternal sun? It seems to suit you," he told her, breaking the tension.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," she smiled, taking her hand back. They stood silently for a moment, San trying to keep a blush away, and Kurama wondering what he could say to her. "So, I saw you here yesterday. You like roses?" she asked, unsure of herself, which was unlike Moriko.

"Yes. I get them for my hu-, mother. She is ill right now, her health is only failing."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Here," San used her power faintly and swiftly to create a purple rose, barely opened with pink at the tip, and plucked it out of the batch, "bring her this," she offered, handing it to him with a smile. Kurama reached out his hand to grab it, barely grazing her skin, but feeling that same sensation at the touch. He could see that she felt it to.

-Do you feel that?-

_-Yes, this girl is very strange. She created that rose you know.-_

_-_I know, I felt it, but just barely. Perhaps we should learn more about her.-

_-Shuuichi...- Youko warned._

_-_I will not do anything to betray our mate.-

Kurama looked over at San, and offered another smile, "I was about to grab something to eat when I was finished here. I know a good place down the street, would you like to accompany me?"

She looked taken aback, but recovered quickly, "I would, but, I don't have much money on me..."

"My treat. It's my way of thanking you for this rare flower."

"If you insist. But I warn you, I can be a big eater when I set my mind to it."

Kurama let out a little laugh, "That's alright. It'll be refreshing to see a girl that actually eats."

They began to walk away, Kurama paying for his roses when San spoke, "Girls don't eat?"

"Not usually. They are more preoccupied with their weight, the media is to blame for that. Don't you see or hear about it at school?"

"No, I have a home education, I live too far away to go to school."

"I see. That must be nice, to be so cut off from the world. Peaceful to."

"It's really great actually. There's a forest, a beach, a swamp, a mountain, hundreds of stairs. It's very serene, I like it better than being in the city. My ma-relative sends me out into civilization purely because I become 'dull' she says," San explained, laughing.

"I have always lived in the city, but I would trade it to live in the country," said Kurama. They walked into the restaurant, and sat down, waiting to order food. Kurama was interested in this girl that was for sure, but he had to be careful not to dishonor his mate. She was possibly still alive somewhere, and he had to find her, after he saved his mother. San knew that this boy, Shuuichi, was in fact Kurama, a human with a demon inside of him. If he was Youko or not, she was not sure, but getting to know him would help, and following him as her wolf form would show her what he was hiding. The adventure, was yet to begin.

* * *

and there it is.. please let me know what you think, ideas are always appreciated, one for a title would be nice :P, and thank you for reading :)


	3. Wolf Games

Kurama was walking away from the hospital, visiting hours being over now. Usually he would think about his mother on the walk home, but tonight, the time he spent with San earlier in the day had plagued him. He was instantly attracted to her, that much was true. She had been completely cut off from everyday life, and he could smell a hint of demon on her. She had even revealed herself to be a demon, and had told him that she knew he was not what he seemed.

...

_San smiled at the boy called Shuuichi as their food was brought to them. She went to pull out some money, but he held up a hand, indicating that he would cover this one. She smiled in thanks, and then began to eat. They sat in silence for a moment, trying to think of their next move. Kurama was attracted to this mysterious girl with the same tawny eyes of Moriko, but he could not do anything that would betray his mate, for she was still quite possibly still alive._

_"Can I tell you something?" she said suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts._

_"Of course," he replied, his green eyes observing hers with slight wonder._

_"I'm not from this world. I also know that you aren't either," she said, very quietly, but serious._

_"I don't understand..."_

_"Oh please. I'm sure your nose works as well as mine. I can smell the demon on you, and I'm sure most of your interest in me is the fact that there's a hint of demon on me. We're both from Makai, let's not bother hiding it."_

_"Very well. What would you like to do about this?"_

_"I want to know more. I've been here for years, stuck and powerless. I'm searching for answers, and I'd like to ask your help."_

_"What kind of answers are you searching for?"_

_"I can't say right now. I don't know you well enough, and I don't know your actual intentions. I do know that if you wanted to hurt me, you would've already done it. I'm used to apparitions coming to the temple all the time with a vengeance. They're attracted to me, as I'm sure they are attracted to you. I want to know things, I'd like to follow you around if that's alright."_

_Kurama thought on this. He definately was not expecting her to come clean so fast, he figured he would corner her into it. But she surprised him, and he was actually speechless. Only one person has ever done that to him, his beloved. He finally regained himself._

_"Can you fight?" he asked simply. There was no point in bringing her anywhere if she couldn't fight._

_"I've been training for the last few years, not to mention my previous life of fighting. I still train nearly everyday," she answered with a slight smile._

_"Well then. I believe I will only have a few days, but tomorrow if you're available, I can meet you at the flower shop, and we can go to the woods to see how far your training has come."_

_"What do you mean you only have a few days?"_

_"I cannot discuss that with you. We are still strangers to one another."_

_"So I take it then you're not free tonight?"_

_"No. There is something I must take care of."_

_"Such as?"_

_"I cannot discuss that either. __However, I would like to see if you could handle my fighting."_

_"You think you're that good?" she asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"I don't know what your capable of. This will be a learning experience for both of us."_

_She smiled warmly, yet playfully at him. They continued to eat, speaking of their human lives._

_..._

_-She was playing with you Shuuichi. She has other intentions on her mind.-_

-While that may be true Youko, I do not intend on betraying our mate.-

_-How soon will we be able to find her?-_

-I don't know Youko. We'll be brought into spirit world after committing this theft. We can ask King Enma if there is a trace of her.-

_-My patience is wearing very thin Shuuichi.-_

-My apologies Youko.-

The question as to who she was still remained. Was she Moriko? Her eyes were the same, hair, just a slight difference. He couldn't help but notice that she took off her shoes when they were outside, and that she, for the most part and lack of a better term, seemed like a lone wolf. Speaking of, the white wolf seemed to have no scent, so he did not smell her coming up behind him as he reached the edge of the forest.

-One is wondering what you are doing here?- he heard her voice in his head. He turned and saw her sitting behind him, the tawny eyes boring into him. The past two days he had been haunted by those eyes, the ones that belonged to his beloved.

-I must meet with others in the forest.- he replied kindly.

-Members of your pack?-

-No, I do not belong to a pack anymore.-

-Man-things do not belong in a pack, but the other part of you does. Why do you need to go there?-

-I have an errand to run.-

-You man-things seem to have many of them. One will accompany you.-

-As you wish.-

They walked through the forest, where, San did not know. She could smell two other demons in the distance, and assumed that was their destination. There was a small clearing that was surrounded by energy. It was not very powerful, but any human would be good to steer clear of it. As they came to the other demons, San recognized the one called Hiei, a fire apparition.

"Kurama, I see you brought your pet with you," Hiei stated, not even turning around to look at him.

"You have a pet now?" said the strange and bulky demon. San gazed at him, sitting beside Kurama and memorizing everything about him. She did not like the feeling she got from him.

"A wolf, if you believe that."

"Don't," Kurama said in that dangerous voice. San looked up at him, noticing his face was cold and slightly hurt by that statement. What was wrong with wolves?

"It's almost time. Your bitch will have to stay here. I'm sure she'll find you after we get back," said Hiei, turning to look at them. San growled at him for calling her a bitch two days in a row.

-One thinks you should stop him from saying such things- she told Kurama and Hiei.

-I'm sure he doesn't mean any offence to you- Kurama replied.

-Hn- was Hiei's response.

"Are we going to get this show on the road or what?" asked the bigger demon.

"Patience Gouki, we still have to wait another couple of minutes," replied Kurama. He then turned to look at the wolf sitting by his side, "I'm sorry friend, but you will have to remain here. I cannot take you where I'm going, but I will return shortly if all goes well," he was afraid of those eyes, but stood his ground, staring into them. The wolf snorted once and then turned, running deeper into the forest. Kurama watched her go, feeling kind of sad that she was unable to journey with him.

_..._

_"Youko, is it really necessary?" she asks her lover, as they lay in the tree of her former den._

_"It is koishii, he jeopordizes our whole mission everytime. He needs to be taught a lesson," he speaks softly in her ear, pulling her closer to him._

_"But it is betrayal! I do not approve of this kitsune, I think there are other methods that would work better."_

_"I'm sorry beloved, but I know this is the only way he will learn."_

_"He could be killed!"_

_"Your vision says that will not take place."_

_"My vision's can be obstructed if something else comes into play_

_ that I have not foreseen, that has been proven before. And I hardly think anyone would want to live their lives as a blind man."_

_"It's going to happen Moriko, so just let it be," it was not a request, but a command. He was using his power as pack leader, not her lover, and as a member of the pack, she had no choice but to obey. She sits up from the bed, out of his comforting embrace and pulls her knees to her chest. She sheds a tear, hating that she is powerless to help her friend. He watches her for a moment, knowing he has hurt her, and hates every moment of it. He moves, putting his legs on either side of her, being mindful of her tail, and pulling her back into his arms. He licks the salty tear that falls from her eye and down her cheek, before speaking again._

_"I wish there was another way beloved, but there is not. Yomi is not the type that learns from listening, he learns from action. I cannot think of anything else that will work. I know that the two of you are friends, but this must be done, and you know it. I'm sorry beloved."_

_"I know my precious kitsune. It is just sad to think that I have this power and yet, I am powerless to stop the course of events. What good is it if I cannot stop all the suffering?"_

_"It is apart of you, and I am sure it will guide you in the future. It has already brought you to me," he whispers in her ear, holding her tighter. She nuzzles her cheek into his._

_"I love you Youko."_

_"I love you," he whispers, his voice husky and light, his mouth capturing hers._

_..._

_He walks the familiar path to his treasure. The tree is ancient, but she is still fresh, her scent mingling with that of the plants hovering everywhere. There is but a problem this time however, two scents that he did not recognize where surrounding the area. He walks up to the tree and gets in his usual way. Upon entering he smells the scents even more, knowing that these were intruders, and seeing signs of a struggle. He looks for his treasure, but finds the seal has been taken along with the wolf demon. This angers him. For decades he had been trying to best the wolf, but somehow, she always seemed to get the better of him. It seemed as if at some points he would be so impressed with her that he would just leave and try again at a later date._

_He barely ponders this, but starts to track her, following the trail led by the intruders. His nose leads him more towards where the former den of the wolf clan existed, where she was once in power nearly five centuries ago. But who would remember such a thing now? He is lucky that the aroma of her is still lingering, or he may have never found this place. He can sense the wards trying to keep him out, they are similar to hers, but not nearly as powerful. He wonders how such weaklings could have gotten a hold of her, but smiles maliciously, he will have a chance to play. He sees her tied by the wrists, dangling from a tree, while the two cubs beat her. __He watches unimpressed at their tactics, and annoyed that she would let such event occur. He sees the seal of the wolf clan clutched in the hands of his new enemies._

_"Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Look at your throne Queen Moriko Chie, look at what you deserted, and for what? You're a cold blooded killer!" declares one of them, punching her again. He observes as she appears to be weak, too weak to even think of an escape. He sees stained blood, and knows she has been there for two, maybe even three days. Her clothes are ripped and then he sees something that makes his blood really boil. Blood, dripping down her thighs, fresh and old. He growls and then comes out of hiding to attack._

_He wields his weapon, killing one of them simply. He eyes the other one, blood thirsty. He can smell her on him, and knows that this is the one he wishes to play with._

_"Leave here kitsune, this is no business of yours!" the foolish cub yells at him._

_"You have taken what is rightfully mine, I will have it back," he states simply._

_"What I have is the seal of the wolf clan, not fox, and a filthy murdering traitorous whore. There is nothing here for you, now leave and let me finish up my work."_

_He laughs, the seeds he had thrown growing around the feet of his enemy. He toyed with him, before murdering him and then turning the the she-wolf hanging from the tree. She is barely conscious, but he can see the thanks in her eyes. He stares at her, but then cuts her down, helping her stand before she is able to walk on her own. She grabs the seal, and the two of them walk back without saying a word. They come upon her den, and they stop._

_He looks at her, into her tawny eyes. She looks back into his golden eyes, before nodding once and then handing him the seal of the wolf clan. He stares at it, her offering for saving her life. In that moment he realizes, the treasure he desired was not this meaningless thing, but the wolf herself. Five centuries had passed and the two of them had toyed with one another, yet he kept coming back. He sees that he could have had it at anytime if he so well choose to, but he just wanted her. He notices she looks down as she holds her hand out to him with the seal. He smirks, putting his hand on hers, takes a step towards her, bring her chin up with his other hand and kisses her with longing._

_He can tell she is alarmed, so he only pulls her closer, wrapping his nine tails around her. The seal falls forgotten as he moves his hand to stroke up and down her back lightly. She pulls him as close as possible, showing him this is something she has wanted herself. They pull back slowly, tawny meeting golden. Her vision has once again come true, she can see the love for her in his eyes. He was her only visitor, friend, companion, enemy, and possibly now, lover. They pull away from each other, and she leaves her door open as she walks into her den. He waits, and then sees as she reappears with clothes in her hands. He nods in understanding, takes her hand, and leads her to the river he knows is nearby. They are still silent, but words are not needed at this time._

_He stands with is back to her as she bathes. He tries to focus on the sound of the waterfall over the sounds of her discomfort. He turns when a wave of water hits him. He sees her there, playful and in the water. She uses her finger to tell him to come to her. He smirks, removing his clothing, not caring that she can see and dives in. He swims to where he was sure she was sitting, but realizes she has moved. He is then pulled under the water unexpectedly. He tries to grasp her, but she is too fast for him, and she swims away. They both surface and he sees her more towards the water fall. She motions for him to follow and he does. They end up behind it._

_"How long can you hold your breath kitsune?" she asks._

_"As long as it takes," is his answer. She smirks at him and then goes under. He follows, and they swim in the underwater cavern. It seems to take them a while before they resurface in a cave only accessible by the water. It shines from the walls surround them, and they sit in the water at first. He kisses her, feeling her now naked body against his, making him hunger. She gives in, knowing what they both want, and showing him so._

_"Wolves mate for life. If you do not want me for all eternity, then I suggest you leave now while you still have the choice," she whispers in his ear._

_"I'd have no other way... beloved," he replies back in his husky voice. It is the first time he calls her this, and it certainly won't be the last in his mind. He kisses her again, and they mate. It is a union that will last a lifetime, even after death. After wards, they lie in the cave, he presses his lips to her back, on her left shoulder blade. He kisses it once, and then bites it, making his mark. She does not cry out in pain, but in eagerness. She is willing to spend the rest of her days with this fox, just as he is marking her as his. What is left is what looks just like a tattoo, a blue and purple rose with silver pedals falling freely, the mark of the legendary bandit, Youko Kurama._

_..._

_Youko..._ was her last thought before her memory ended. It was the beginning of the rest of their lives together, and she was the happiest youki in all of the Makai. With him, everything seemed to matter more, seemed to have more of a purpose, even if they were just scavenging gems and odd artifacts. She missed her lover more than anything. His strong embrace, his scent, his eyes, his nine tails wrapped around her for support or warmth, the sound of his voice... She missed waking up with him, missed how they would run or play on their spare time, missed how they would hunt just for sport and not food. She shed one tear in her wolf form, she had to find him, and somehow, she knew that this "Shuuichi/Kurama" was the key to all of that.

San awoke to the smell of a human wandering into the forest, heading towards where the demons had once vacated. She got up from her resting place and headed towards the owner of the scent. As she got closer, she noticed something different. She saw it was that Urameshi kid, the one from her vision that is next in line to be Genkai's disciple, but in his place, walking with him, was Raizen? What was he doing there? She could not detect any youki energy on him, barely even a trace of reiki. Who was this Urameshi fellow? He seemed to know where he was going, so San decided to follow him.

A change in the air told her that the demons had returned. She knew that Urameshi was headed towards them, so she vacated her watch over him and ran towards Kurama. She saw them holding their treasure's, malicious smiles on their face. She saw Hiei chopping trees, turning them into small demons. He got the sword, Gouki got the ball, and Kurama had the mirror. She couldn't help but think that it was typical he would get a mirror with his girlish looks. She lolled her tongue to one side in laughter. He seemed to be off on his own, and San wondered what was on his mind.

-The Reikai Tantei is on his way- she spoke in his mind, hopefully without Hiei hearing. She walked up beside him and stared up into his green eyes.

-Understood- he replied to her. He nodded once and took a step forward.

"I apologize, but I'm withdrawing," he stated to the other two.

"What do you mean? You want to leave us?" Hiei questioned.

"That's right..."

"Coward. You're acting like a typical human."

"We don't need to give part of the loot to a person like you. Hand over the Dark Mirror," said Gouki.

"That won't do, I shall be needing this," said Kurama in his calm voice.

Gouki did not look happy. San bared her fangs at him, getting ready to strike when he did. "I won't allow your reckless actions!" he bellowed, getting ready to swing at Kurama. San was in position, she was not going to allow harm to come to him, "With my own powers, I will take back the mirror!"

"Yo, hang on!" San heard the voice of Urameshi come into play. He stepped out of the shadows and everyone turned to face him. "Why don't you just give me the treasures and then continue on your argument afterwards."

-One thinks this would be the best time to leave, not too far however, it would be good to observe his actions- San stated at Kurama.

-Agreed, though I do not care to stick around. Let's hope you can keep up with me- was his last statement before disappearing. San lolled her tongue out again before taking off and catching up to him in no time. She ran past him, hoping he could keep up with her now. She stopped at the edge of the forest and waited. It didn't take long for him to meet her there.

-That boy has tremendous power at his disposal, he just needs to realize it- she spoke.

-I could not sense anything. I'm amazed your faster than a demon like myself-

-It's nothing. One likes to hunt. What will you do with that?-

-I am sure you will be around to observe. I must go now.-

-One will find you again- she stated, before running back into the forest. She wanted to see how Urameshi did, since he was hopefully going to be Genkai's next disciple. She had to see how he would do against Hiei and Gouki, and see why Raizen was with him, if he was at all. Things were really starting to change, and showing signs of getting more serious. Was she ready?


	4. The Dark Mirror

Kurama was waiting at the flower shop for the mysterious San. He wondered what type of demon this girl was, what type of powers she would have, and how well her training was. She appeared to be about the age of fifteen, and the only available explanation other than Moriko, would be that this was possibly one of his young. If such was the case, there would be no way to explain who he was if Moriko was dead. He would judge from her fighting style and then decide, ask a few more questions and hopefully figure out the answer. He continued to stare down the street until he spotted her not too far away. He smiled a bit and walked towards her, making sure she could see him. They stopped when they reached one another, trying to read what one was thinking.

"How has your day been so far?" she asked, hopefully getting somewhere besides just staring.

"Nothing wrong that I know of. Did you wish to grab something to eat first, or just begin immediately?" was his reply.

"It doesn't really matter to me. If your hungry, then I'll treat you this time to some lunch, if not, then afterwards we can grab something."

"Very well. Follow me."

They walked for some time in silence. It seemed as if one was trying to figure out the other one before they began. Kurama was fairly sure that this San was one of his young, maybe the only one to survive. He would decide after seeing her fight, it was the only way to really tell. San smiled slightly when she realized that this was where they had parted ways last night. He did not know this, seeing as she was in her wolf form, but she couldn't help but wonder what brought him here. There was no way he could've known her secret, but she kept her face emotionless, as if none of this bothered her. The smell of the other demons and Urameshi was still here, and the smell of his blood, as well as the blue haired woman that saved him.

After leaving Kurama last night, she decided to go back and observe the young Reikai Tantei. He nearly died against that fool Gouki, and was saved by his assistant, the blue haired woman she had seen in her vision. She still saw the faint image of Raizen around Urameshi, and still couldn't figure out why she was seeing it. He smelled only human, and she knew that Raizen couldn't possibly come here from Makai, he was too powerful. She could tell that Yusuke was more powerful than he led on, and with Genkai's training, he would be a force to be reckoned with. She was determined to see him complete the task that her master gave him, when the timing was right.

Kurama looked over at San, waiting until she was ready. She snapped out of her thoughts and focused on him now. They eyed each other, wondering who would make a move first, and what they should expect from the other. There was a light breeze blowing through their hair, and Kurama decided he would make the first move, to see how good her reflexes were. He took off at demon speed to appear behind her. San smirked, looking behind her and striking, putting barely any force of her body into it. Kurama blocked her blow, but was knocked back a bit.

"Your eyes seem to work well," he stated, trying to think of his next move. It was hard to devise a strategy when you don't know your opponent, nor how they fight.

"Of course. I'm sure you have a weapon up your sleeve, pull it out. This is starting to bore me," she replied.

Kurama smirked, very Moriko like of her to suggest such a thing. He reached into his hair and pulled out a rose. He charged his spirit energy, and held his rose whip in his hand. He was curious to see what she would do. She had a small smirk on her face, as if daring to him to attack her. He did and at her demon speed, she basically had vanished. She was faster than he had anticipated, and lost sight of her. He kept his ears open, for any little sound that might indicate where she was. Suddenly, he felt the whip in his hand disappear. He looked down and saw that it was nothing but a rose seed now. She appearing in front of him soon after, laying a good kick to his face. She sat on his torso, staring down into his eyes with that look of amusement. He looked back into hers and smiled.

"It seems you have sufficient training. I do not think there is much more we can learn from one another here. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions," said Kurama, hoping she would let him up.

"That depends on what they are. If I don't like it, then I won't answer them."

"Fair enough."

They walked back into town, towards a restaurant that Kurama knew well for lunch. It wasn't anything fancy, just somewhere to eat. San insisted that she get this one, seeing as he paid for her last time. They sat down, waiting until they ordered their food before Kurama decided he wanted to start his interrogation.

"I was wondering... Where are your parents?" he began. He didn't really want to beat around the bush, but he was unsure of how to approach the subject. He was sure that hearing the words she died would hurt him deeply.

"My mother died giving birth to me, and my father has been gone since before that I believe," she answered without a trace of pain. It was so many years ago, there was no point in keeping the pain for that long. She was centuries old after all.

Her mother died giving birth. Her father had been gone since before that. This had to be one of his young, there was no way it wasn't. The eyes, the slightly different hair, the mannerism, the past, this San sitting in front of him was in fact his daughter! Then again, maybe he was jumping to conclusions a little too fast.

"Can you reveal your demon form?"

"No. I'm not that powerful yet," again, an honest answer. San wondered what he was trying to get at, it seemed as if he was suspicious of her.

_-We cannot assume Shuuichi. We'll have to wait until she is powerful enough to reveal herself-_

-The Dark Mirror is going to take my life, the only other way I can think of is to ask Koenma if she has been to the Reikai-

_-And if she hasn't?-_

-I'm sorry Youko-

The conversation in his head ended just as the food was being brought to them. San smiled and began to pick at it, not really wanting to eat the contents of it all. Kurama blinked twice before beginning on his dish as well.

"What's your real name?" asked San sometime during their meal.

"I beg your pardon?" said Kurama, surprised by her random question.

"Shuuichi can't be your real name. That's the name that your human mother gave you. What is your real name?"

Kurama thought on this. If this was his child, she would never know who he was at all. If this was Moriko, would she pick up on it that fast? He decided there would be no harm in telling San his real name, "I am called Kurama."

"Interesting..." she trailed before taking another bite.

"You've heard of me?"

"Nope," she wasn't going to reveal her wolf secret just yet. It was still too early, and she didn't want to end her game so soon. She was hoping he'd put a Youko in front of it, but she knew her business with him was not done. Kurama looked at his plate, keeping his face as plain as possible. She did not catch it, so this couldn't be Moriko.

_-I think you're giving up too early. She's playing, I know this style-_

-It's hard to say. Anything seems to be possible-

They didn't linger long after their meal before parting ways. Their next meeting was undetermined, but San was going to keep an eye on him in her wolf form, unknown to him though.

...

_He wakes from his slumber in his makeshift den. He looks down at his beloved, who is still very much asleep. The loot from their latest raid was scattered all over the floor, but that was not why he was awake. He doesn't know why he wakes, but sleep does not wish to claim him at this present moment. He sits up, careful not to wake her. He throws his hair over his naked shoulder, neither of them really caring for clothes while they slept, nor after they mated. He smiles thinking about that night centuries ago, when he had made her his. He looks over at the mark on her shoulder blade, eyeing his work. He can hear the peaceful and steady breaths while she sleeps. Tenderly, he reaches out a hand to trace the mark he has left on her. She stirs slowly, smiling at his touch._

_She turns to face him, staring into his golden eyes. They hold nothing but pure love and adoration, only for her. She feels it, and kisses him, pulling him close. Their passionate kisses lead to a celebration of their love, which leaves them in their own world of bliss. She smiles, stroking around his face and neck, while he holds her close. Her long tawny hair is fanned out behind her, as her head rests on his chest. He nips at her ear playfully, how she feels about such an action._

_"One wonders why you are still up," she does not ask, but states._

_"I'm not sure koishii, but I did not wish to wake you," he replies, kissing behind her ear._

_"Do not worry Youko. Have you noticed anything different about me lately?"_

_"Is this a game?"_

_"While I love to play games, this time I must be serious."_

_"Something is different about you, but I cannot quite figure it out."_

_"There is something I wish to tell you."_

_"What is it beloved?"_

_"I am with young," she looks up and smiles at him._

_He stares back at her in disbelief, "Truly?_

_"Yes. Do you see something different now kistune?"_

_"The glow of motherhood is upon you, that is what I have failed to notice," he answers her, smiling and placing a hand on her abdomen, where the young were growing._

_"Does it please you?"_

_"Yes koishii. I love you ookami," he answers her before pulling her to him, and preparing to celebrate their young._

_..._

The full moon was upon him tonight, and Kurama was waiting patiently for Yusuke to appear. Although he should be worried about tonight, his mind kept wandering to the mysterious San. He couldn't make up his mind about her, but he knew that he wanted her to be around. It was a shame that he couldn't explain what he was doing, less he say good bye and explain his actions. If she was his daughter, he would deeply regret putting her through more misery than she possibly already felt. He wished he knew who she really was, but he was too afraid to find out. He was going to die tonight anyway, so what would be the point?

Kurama could smell the Reikai Tantei approaching. He made himself visible, knowing that the young human didn't have much talent. He could sense something else around him as well, but was unsure if it was worth paying attention to or not. He decided to ignore it but keep his guard up, just as Urameshi was approaching him. He nodded at the young boy and then started to walk towards the hospital. Urameshi was quiet the whole way, not knowing what to do about this thief. Kurama didn't feel the need to say anything until he got up to his mothers room in the hospital, and was surprised that the walk was silent.

"Shuuichi," his mother greeted, relieved, "I see you've brought a friend."

San watched through the window at what was going on. She was very curious as to why he was so secretive and cryptic about this night, so she decided she would follow him. It came as a bit of a surprise that he would bring the Reikai Tantei with him to what she was assuming his human mother. She watched as they conversed a little and then Shuuichi was rushed out of there. Something was happening, doctors were everywhere in the room. She then noticed the red hair of "Shuuichi" on top of the hospital building. She was too far to see or hear anything, so she decided to get closer. Scanning her surroundings, she saw the route she would take to get on the building beside, rather than across the street. She was about to jump, but then saw something glowing where Kurama and Urameshi were. With swift movements she was on the ledge of the hospital roof. Her eyes widened as she saw the Dark Mirror in Kurama's hands. Urameshi was also holding it, trying to help from what it looked like. She changed back to her human form, just as the mirror was at full power. The energy hit her, and she felt like herself again.

Kurama only remembered seeing white and the black. He remembered Yusuke putting himself in the midst of his wish, trying to tell the Dark mirror to take his life instead. He was getting close to consciousness, though he didn't hear anything. He put a hand to his head, knowing that if he were dead, he wouldn't be feeling any pain. He felt the mirror beside him, and he felt Youko inside, stirring, just as he was. He opened his eyes, not expecting anyone to be standing over him. His vision was still blurry, but it looked just like...

_-Moriko?-_

It seemed to be, her wolf ears pointing upwards, her tawny eyes full of fear and worry, her fluffy white tail. She was as radiant as ever, the moonlight complimenting her facial features perfectly. She was as exquisite as her remembered her, reaching up a hand, he cupped her cheek. It seemed like centuries since he had seen her, touched her. He missed her so much, it hurt to be away from her for so long. Maybe he was dead, and she was here with him. Fair trade. He smiled, rubbing his thumb across her cheek, missing the feel of her soft skin. But as his vision cleared, he realized that it wasn't his koishii he was seeing.

"San?" Kurama questioned the girl in front of him. She was staring at him with the familiar tawny eyes, almost looking curious rather than worried. Kurama himself was confused as to why she was there, before he realized his hand was still on her cheek. He took it back, but no emotion showed on his face.

"What an amazing thing," she stated moving to look at the mirror. She picked it up, examining it.

"Please be careful with that," Kurama cautioned her. He didn't want something to happen to her, "and what are you doing here?"

But she ignored him, deciding that the question didn't matter. How very Moriko like of her. He hated it when she used to do that. She continued to stare at the mirror, wondering why it didn't kill the two of them, but not showing the question on her face, nor did she dare ask. She supposed it had nothing to do with her, so she held it while Urameshi got to his feet.

"Who's the broad?" asked Yusuke.

"A friend of mine. A strange one at that," Kurama answered, standing in front of her, still observing. San got bored of the mirror and handed it to Yusuke.

"Do you think it worked?"

Kurama tore his eyes away from San, looking at the moon.

"Shuuichi! It's your mother, she's going to be alright!" a nurse called out to him, opening the door to the roof and seeing them. Kurama smiled and ran towards her, assuming he was going to see his mother. San looked over at Yusuke, who was staring in the direction Kurama disappeared in. Again, the faint image of Raizen was right there, in the same space as Yusuke.

"So what's your name?" he asked.

"San, and you?"

"Yusuke, Yusuke Urameshi. I take it you know about Kurama?"

"Something like that."

"Are you a demon to?"

"Yes."

"Well at least your not causing me any problems," he put a hand on her shoulder. She went frigid, a vision hitting her like a tonne of bricks. She saw Urameshi fighting with Suzaku, and he was nearly dying. She saw a girl he didn't recognize, along with the Urameshi's assistant on a screen behind the fight. Just as quickly as it started, it stopped. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, just... not used to being around people," she replied. He looked confused at her, "If you really want to know, just ask Kurama. I have to get home though. Bye."

...

-Well, here we are, just as expected-

_-Yes. How long do you think we will be condemned here?-_

-It's hard to say. I'm sure since we helped out with Hiei, we might get off a little easier-

_-San was proving to be quite the opponent-_

-Yes, it will be a while until we see her again, if we do-

_-Have you been so blind Shuuichi?-_

-Pardon?-

_-I'm completely positive that she is the wolf that follows us around-_

-What makes you so sure?-

_-It was the night we used the mirror, how did she know where to find us?-_

-It's hard to say, but she is definitely not ordinary-

"Kurama, Koenma can see you now," said the blue goblin. Kurama nodded and followed him into the office of Koenma, the son of King Enma.

"Kurama, I take it you have been well?" Koenma greeted the fox.

"As well as can be. Your paper work seems to be piling up."

"Yeah it gets like that from time to time, I can't seem to find good help. Now, looking at the current situation, you won't spend a lot of time here, seeing as we had your cooperation and the intentions behind the theft were genuine. Yusuke has vouched for you, so spend some time here during your school hours and weekends, and then we'll see if we can work something out."

"That's very generous of you. I know I don't deserve it, but I have one more request."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if the spirit of Moriko has passed through here in the past few years?"

"Is she dead your wondering?"

"Yes."

"No, she's still very much alive. Her whereabouts, I'm not sure of however, I can try and keep an ear open, but other than that, you'll have to search for yourself."

"Thank you for all the help. I'll leave now."

-_She's alive!-_

-Yes. We'll find her Youko, this, I promise you-


	5. Memories

Today was the day, Genkai's tournament was about to begin. There would be many fighters here, many who wanted to improve, their power, and one who was forced. San knew that Yusuke, the Reikai Tantei would show up to the dojo, her vision stated it so. She wasn't sure that she would be around to watch, not knowing his relationship with Kurama, who wasn't around much since his sentence with Koenma. She was supposed to go in to see Koenma today, never meeting him before. Yusuke had told Koenma about her, and she wasn't too thrilled about meeting him. He would know who she was, she couldn't get away with it, but she didn't want anyone to know that. Genkai was the only one who knew her true identity, and she wanted to keep it that way, at least, until she found Youko. Her training with Genkai was as hard as ever, and she knew it was because of those days she spent with Kurama.

Genkai had warned her that no matter who won her tournament, San would be training with them, and living with them to. She was not looking forward to that. Rando was out there, she could sense him, but she knew that there was no choice. Genkai didn't seem to care who won, even though she could just end the tournament and pick Yusuke. Then again, Genkai wasn't one who really cared about people or demons, she just went through life for herself. San didn't know much about the history of Genkai, only that she was once in the Dark Tournament and that since then she despised demons. San felt privileged to be able to live here and get along with her so well. She didn't quite understand why Genkai had saved her, but she wasn't going to question it.

So here she was, in Rekai, a place she hadn't been to in years. She dealt a lot with King Enma when she was the ruler of her clan, but since her "treachery", she hadn't bothered to show up. If King Enma truly believed her guilty, then she would've been taken care of centuries ago. Reikai hadn't changed much at all, it was the same. You'd think after so many years they'd at least change the blinds or get some new chairs, but no, it seemed that even the ogres didn't care about the state of things, and they were here every damn day! What felt like hours was only five minutes, and she had been there for nearly an hour. Something had to be going on, King Enma was usually much more efficient than this, at least, that's how she remembered him.

"Koenma will see you now," said the blue ogre. Oh yeah, she was seeing Koenma, not Enma, that's why everything was probably so disorganized. She got up from her seat, thankful that her bum didn't go numb from sitting there for so long. She walked into the room, and all she saw along the desk was stacks of papers up to the ceiling. She couldn't believe how much disarray this room was in, and she wasn't even sure that he saw her.

"San I presume?" he spoke from behind the stacks. She felt someone poke at her right side so she looked down. A toddler? "You are San right? Or should I say Moriko?"

"Both actually. In this form I am San, and I have not been able to return to my demon form in quite some time. Everyone thinks I'm dead, and I'd like to keep it that way," she explained, trying not to poke fun at this infant standing before her.

"I see. Why didn't you report to me when you had a chance? We could have protected you."

"I was just fine the way I was. No one besides Genkai knows anything about me."

"Why haven't you returned to Makai? I can send you there if I must."

"No. I'm searching for something, and it's in the human world. My visions are playing out, they must be completed before I return home, if I decide to."

"You'll have to at some point, my father won't allow you to remain at Genkai's temple."

"Your father wasn't aware of my actions, and I'm hoping he doesn't have to be."

"Very well. I have but one request. I'm sure if you have visions of the future, you already know about Genkai's tournament?"

"I was the one who told her she would need to have it."

"Excellent. Perfect timing. You must know of my Reikai Tantei, Yusuke Urameshi."

"Of course, why else would I be here?"

"Well, Kurama had also mentioned you during his sentence here. But I want to know if you can help Yusuke with his missions, in exchange, I'll keep the secret of your true identity from everyone, including my father."

"I mean it, not a single person is to know where or who I am."

"You have my word. Please, help Yusuke on his missions."

"I'm not supposed to interfere with the tournament. If he survives that, then I'll help him with anything he needs."

"Excellent. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some paper work to attend to."

...

_He sees her in the distance, outside of her den. He smiles, thinking about how easy it could be to sneak in and snatch his treasure. He stands his ground, watching her work. The sun makes her glow, and he can't help but stare at his beloved. It was the middle of his training, and she was progressing fairly fast. She was able to fight, that was for sure, but to join his pack, she needed to be able to sneak around, thief-like skills. Lucky for him she was incredibly agile. He tip-toes towards the edge of the clearing, making absolutely no sound with his feet. He uses his demon speed to jump onto a branch high above her. He waits for the right time, and then he lunges at her. She smiles, having felt his presence from miles away, and at the last moment, strikes with her leg, straight to the abdomen. He recovers quickly and is on his feet, standing in front of her. He smiles down at her, staring into those tawny eyes._

_"Excellent koishii. You are really well at keeping your guard up," he congratulates her. She beams at him, happy to have pleased her new lover. He grabs her by the waist and kisses her lovingly. It was a while since he had a mate, and he surely missed it. She was different, she was for life, and he knew that nothing would change, that he would never seek another after marking her. "Tomorrow, we will travel to my pack. You'll have to leave this all behind beloved."_

_"I know. But I'm okay with that. If we're in the area, it will make a good hideout, and I always knew that I would not be here for the end of my days, I knew that you were coming for me one day."_

_"I wish I knew about this centuries ago."_

_"I enjoyed our games, and look forward to new ones."_

_"There will be plenty of games for you beloved, that is one joy you can gain from joining my pack."_

_She smiles up at him before kissing him once more. She uses her demon energy to get the seeds to grow, vines covering what is now her former den. She will be with her new pack, and her new lover. She is happier than she had ever been in her whole existence._

_..._

_"Youko, what kind of future do you see for us?" she questions her lover, as they sit in a temporary den. They are planning on storming an ancient castle, rumour of great treasures there._

_"I'm not sure koishii, I think about near future's, not far from now. We'll live for centuries, we have plenty of time to think about such things," he answers, kissing the top of her head._

_"Things are different now though. I am carrying our young, they will be here in just a few months. This is no life for them, they need me to care for them, and you to teach them."_

_"I understand. I had already planned to halt my exploits so that our young may grow. No matter where the treasures go, I will always be able to retrieve them."_

_"I love you kitsune."_

_He kissed her, "I love you my precious ookami. Trust in me, and I will take care of everything. I have one request, as your lover and pack leader."_

_"What is it?"_

_"I wish for you to refrain from our raids temporarily. It is too much for you now in your condition, you have already begun to slow down. Besides, we both would not want something to happen to you and the young."_

_"As you wish," she agreed. He kissed her once more._

_..._

"Botan, why do men feel they have to fight to solve their problems?" San asked the blue haired grim reaper. She was watching Urameshi and the red haired Kuwabara fight for the umpteenth time. It seemed a simple comment would set off Kuwabara. He had to learn not to take everything so personally. They were standing on the sidelines of the final battle, the part where her vision came to life. Kuwabara was facing the demon Rando, but San already knew his fate. She felt bad for him, and would loved to help, but she wasn't supposed to be here, so she took this as her cue to leave.

"Hey, where are you going?" Botan questioned. Genkai looked over as well, curious.

"I'm not supposed to witness these fights, temptation of interference I suppose, I have to go to my own devices," and with that she disappeared. She went back to her wolf form and ran back to the temple. She decided to head into town, since she hadn't been there since the fight with Hiei. Kurama, that idiot nearly got himself killed! Good thing she was there to heal him, Botan wasn't strong enough to stop Keiko's demon and heal Kurama. Keiko was Yusuke's girlfiend, or future girlfriend, and was the girl San had seen in the vision she had when Yusuke touched her shoulder on the roof of the hospital. She had no memory of what happened that night, and it was just as well. San liked Botan, she was as much into games as she was, and loved the way she seemed to keep Yusuke on his toes. She was quite bubbly, and that was something San couldn't get used to.

Musing in her head led her to the flower shop, where she first met Kurama. She wondered why she always ended up here. She was drawn to the place more often now, and she couldn't figure it out. She thought about Kurama often, seeing as she hadn't figured him out, nor had she been able to find a trace of him lately. She would have to find something to do during this battle, and she wasn't sure what. It was times like these that she wished she did go to school, made friends so that she wasn't so alone. Great, now the human part of her was starting to take over. She sighed, looking around the shops and the people, observing the humans. They weren't as bad as the stories told back in Makai, they were like children. Then again, she didn't know very many humans, so she couldn't exactly be sure as to what they were really like.

...

Kurama had a free day off from prison. He was walking downtown, sent on errands by his mother. It felt like he hadn't been free in a long time, so he enjoyed walking around while he could. He was hoping to see San, but knowing her, she was probably sheltered at the temple. He even missed the wolf that used to follow him around, and was slightly surprised that she hadn't turned up like she usually did. Youko had said he was sure the wolf was San, but Kurama was unsure about that assumption. She wasn't an ordinary wolf, that was for sure, but if San could change, then why wouldn't she have done so when they were sparring? It would definitely be an advantage, something that would make fighting easier.

_-Do you smell that?-_

Kurama sniffed. -Yes, it's San-

_-You were hoping to see her-_

-I'm just trying to figure her out-

_-Moriko is alive, you'd best discard the girl from your mind-_

But Kurama wasn't listening by then. He spotted her, sitting in the park by some of the flowers around the pond. She was just staring into the water, looking like she was thinking. Kurama walked towards her, not hearing the protests by Youko. He wasn't going to betray Moriko, there was no harm in befriending the girl. She didn't seem to have any anyway, and she might prove useful in the near future, how as he to know? All he knew was that she needed to be around, at least, for the time being.

"I definitely didn't expect to see you here," she stated, not even looking at him.

"Forgive me if I startled you," said Kurama.

"Not at all, I knew someone was eyeing me down from some where around here. Not many people seem to notice me. How's part time jail life treating you? Shouldn't you be there right now?"

"It's not as unpleasant as I thought it might have been. I have the day off today, so I decided to walk around freely. The deal is I have to stay home with my mother while I'm not in school."

"At least you got off easy, unlike Hiei. He'll probably never get out with his blood lust for humans."

"What is your thought on humans?"

"They are stupid, greedy, and self centered. I can stand to be around them only sometimes. The only thing they really have going for them is the lack of rotting flesh smell."

"I have to agree there. Makai is notorious for the stench, it seems it will never leave."

"Pollution isn't that much better, but a slight improvement. All these humans do is complain, without even realizing they bring all the shit onto themselves."

"Most of them are unaware of what they have."

"No, they are, they just want what they can't have, or what someone else has, its pure bullshit. I lost my children, but I'm not going around stealing others."

"You lost your children?"

"Yeah. I was badly injured when I first came here. I was saved by the woman I live with at the temple. She's not a fan of demons, in fact, she hates them all. But she helped me, and then let me stay there, probably out of sympathy. She is still a woman, maternal instincts come naturally, especially when that fellow woman is going through that kind of pain."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Did the father know?"

"Yes. He's here somewhere in this world. I'm searching for him. I miss him terribly, I haven't seen nor heard from him since that day. I loved him so, I love him still. Koenma has asked me to accompany his Rekai Tantei on his missions. I agreed, only because I have a feeling that he will lead me to my mate."

"Who was he? I might be able to help you."

"No offense, but if I can't find the fucker, then there's no way in hell you can."

Kurama chuckled, "Fair enough."

"You remind me of him, that's probably why I like being around you. It gives me hope and the feeling that he's near, looking for me as well. Did you have a mate?"

"Yes. She was a goddess. She also resides somewhere in this world, if she hasn't gone back to Makai yet. I'm going to start my search for her once I'm finished with Koenma. A love like ours will last forever, I miss her. I know what you mean when you say it gives you hope. You look like her."

San sighed, "Too bad we're already taken, or else I'm sure we'd get together."

Kurama smiled warmly at her, "I wouldn't mind that. But I'm mated for life."

"Me to. Life really sucks sometimes."

"Agreed. I'm happy I can talk with someone about it, someone who seems to understand."

"Inner turmoil is a silent killer. This way it's better. It's also nice to have more than one friend, someone who sees things the way that I do. I should probably get going though, the tournament is definitely over by now, and I have to see if the demon won or if Urameshi did. I'd much rather Urameshi, I don't care much for Rando."

"If Yusuke did indeed defeat Rando, then he is stronger than either of us had anticipated. It was a surprise he even defeated Hiei."

"Yeah, I heard about THAT battle. Good job getting stabbed you dumbass."

"I did what was necessary."

"Killing yourself is never necessary, you should have learned that when the Dark Mirror spared your life. Anyway, enjoy the rest of your day, I really do have to leave now."

"I hope we meet again in the near future," and he really meant that. He watched her retreating back, wondering when the next time he got to see her would be. He sympathized with her, feeling the same kind of pain that she did. She was right, life really did suck sometimes.

San didn't think too much about Kurama. She was more worried about Genkai, and how the tournament ended. She was very sure it would be over by now, and the anticipation to get back home was too much. She traveled into a deserted alley and jumped to the rooftop. From there, she changed into her wolf form and ran towards the temple. She was much faster this way, and it wasn't that easy to spot her, not many humans looked up. Even if Rando won, she'd be damned if he was going to devour her master. She wouldn't allow it, no matter what the cost, she owed Genkai that at least. Nearly there, and she couldn't feel Rando's energy. She took that as a good sign, and would be happy about it if she could feel a trace of Urameshi. But there he was when she arrived, sleeping in the guest bed. San changed back to her human form and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It was quite the battle kid. I think you'll have lots of fun training with him," Genkai stated from behind her.

"How did it end?" asked San.

"Dumb luck. That dimwit will need more than that to complete my training. He'll be here for six months."

"He's not going to like it, I already know that. Especially with a small time frame like six months."

"That's his loss. He'll be waking up for breakfast with us, and you will be training with him, teaching him some of your older moves, since I don't fight like a demon."

"It's just as well, my secrecy depends on me being around his mission, I have to be there for him, or else Koenma is going to make my presence here known."

"Have you had any idea of what his missions were going to be like?"

"Kind of. I saw him fighting Suzaku in the last vision I had. He wasn't looking so good."

"That gives me a better idea of what I should do."

"As long as he's determined, I'm sure he'll do just fine."

"We'll see. I think it's time you went to bed," and with that, Genkai vacated to her own room. San sighed once, not liking that the old woman treated her like a child at times, but didn't argue. She walked to her room and laid down in her bed. Six months, and then the adventure would begin. Wolves were patient by nature, but somethings were really starting to get on her nerves. She was getting sick of waiting to find Youko, but what choice did she have?

...

_"Queen Moriko, your father's health is continuing to fail. I'm sorry, but he will not last much longer," her adviser tells her. She does not wish to hear this news, but she knew the timing was inevitable._

_"And what of the clan? What do they feel about these accusations against me?" she asks._

_"They are not in favour of you."_

_"And you Yayoi? What do you believe?"_

_"I don't think you are a murderer Moriko, I think you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But my word will not hold against the council."_

_"What good is a council if my influence does not make a difference?"_

_"What good is a council to a pack of wolves?"_

_"I am going to face the charges. They will try to kill me, but I will flee. Soon, I will be on my own, following the destiny that has been laid out for me since the beginning of my days. I will be sad to leave you, my only friend."_

_"I will be sad to see you go. There really isn't another way?"_

_"No, this is absolute."_

_"Perhaps you should flee now then?"_

_"Not yet. I still have a duty to my people, and my father. He knows nothing of this fake treachery, and I do not wish to leave him until he is gone."_

_"Understood."_

_"Thank you, for everything you have done for me. I hope your next ruler will be adequate."_

_"I'll be retiring. Possibly even leaving myself, I can't stand half of this clan."_

_She smiles, "Agreed. Goodnight then," she retreats to her room. Such foolish accusations, why would she kill him? He was of no use to her alive or dead, and she loved him dearly._

_..._

_"Today, we are brought here to acknowledge and decide the fate of our Queen, Moriko Chie, who is being accused of killing the prince, her own brother, Akatsuki Chie. There is no supporting evidence that she has not committed this crime, just a witness to the found body. The motive was no competition for the throne. If found guilty, she will be prosecuted accordingly," the announcer speaks._

_"I am very sure that Moriko-"_

_"Queen Moriko," she corrects angrily._

_"Yes, for now. Queen Moriko murdered her brother, Akatsuki for the throne. Think about it? We've all known her for years, has she ever really shown any sign of love for her brother? Or for the rest of this clan? No. She only cares about power, and she'll destroy anything that gets in her way," Natsuko, the woman her brother had mated with not too long ago. In truth, she wanted the power, and wished to murder him when Moriko was given the crown. She get's the crown by default if Moriko is proven guilty._

_"Lies! I loved my brother, I would never do anything to harm him!"_

_"Then why did you threaten to kill him?"_

_"Because we were in a fight, siblings do that you know. We fought, we said meaningless things to each other, but I would never harm him."_

_"Funny how the day after that you two went off into the woods, __only you returned. I found his mangled body and your plants all around him, as well as your hair and scent."_

_"Fool, anyone could create that plant, it's common around this clan. He was killed before my very eyes! By hunters that came thru our forest!"_

_"Council, she is lying! She killed Akatsuki, the love of my life!" Natsuko wails. Moriko growls at the cub, and tries to keep her anger under control._

_"Enough!" screams the head councilman, "Queen Moriko Chie, you are guilty of murdering Prince Akatsuki Chie. You will be stripped of your crown, title, and beheaded at dawn. Unless you can prove otherwise, your sentence is absolute. Case dismissed!"_

_"NO!" she screams, knowing that this was going to happen, but was powerless to stop it. The only thing she was prepared for was her escape. She would say good bye to this clan forever, and begin her journey. The feelings should have been different, but she was hoping to find a way to change this fate. Her father had passed, she did not want him to see his child suffering so._

_"Now, seeing as Akatsuki was heir to the throne and has now passed, his mate, Natsuko will be our new Queen. She will rule and produce an heir. That is the end of this."_

_She walks away from her stand. She is brought to the dungeon by the guards, her freedom taken away. They do not stand guard, and she slips away through a loose stone that she saw in her vision. She begins to run, never looking back to the place she once called home._


	6. First Mission

"Hiei, Kurama, Koenma will see you now," the blue ogre named Jorge. The two demons got up from their seats and then proceeded into the messy office. Neither of them knew why Koenma was calling them to his office, but they were about to find out.

"Good to see you both. I need a favour," he began, moving a stack of paper out of the way.

"Hn. Forget it," stated Hiei.

"But you don't even know what I'm going to ask you for!"

"It doesn't matter."

"I think it will if I tell you after granting me my favour I'll change your sentence to time served."

Hiei's ears perked. He looked at Koenma, slightly curious, "What do you want?"

"The Saint beasts are requesting immediate immigration into the living world. Help Yusuke defeat them and destroy the whistle and you'll both be free. Kurama, your already out on good behaviour, but Hiei, I'll let you roam free in the city if you promise to help Yusuke with this mission and whatever else I may happen to need you for."

"Become the Rekai Tantei?"

"Help him, Suzaku is not a good enemy to put him against, but I don't have much of a choice."

"Fine. You better hold up your end of the bargain."

"Will do. You leave immediately, I'll prepare a portal."

Koenma waved a hand and then a portal appeared. Hiei and Kurama looked at each other, and then jumped through it. They appeared on a tree branch, watching Urameshi and a human they didn't recognize fight some of the lesser demons. They ran off after the light disappeared from the appearance of the two stronger demons.

"It seems you're going to need some help," Kurama told them.

"If those nothings were too much for you we're going to have some serious trouble," said Hiei, and then they both jumped down from the tree to the ground.

"Well, well, well, the thieves," said Yusuke, "What are you doing here?"

"Even a fool like Koenma knew it would take more than human power to kill the Saint Beasts," answered Hiei.

"By aiding in this mission Koenma has assured us that we can make a clean slate in the Rekai," Kurama added.

"I guess he must've heard me complaining. Hey Kuwabara, this is Hiei, and that's Kurama."

"I don't know whats going on but it sure it nice to have a helping hand," Kuwabara greeted.

"Helping is not the word. Koenma may regard us as equals, but I do not. Once we get inside the castle you better let us do all the work. As far as I'm concerned we're babysitting," Hiei stated.

"Listen you little jerk face I'm gunna have to beat you up if you keep talking down to us like that!"

They heard a girlish laugh after that. Kurama could swear he knew the owner of it, but as they turned towards the direction of the noise, they saw someone in the shadows.

"Now that is something I would pay to see. Hiei getting beaten up by an oaf like you. Don't get me wrong buddy but I'm pretty sure you don't stand a chance. Maybe you could try in a few years," the stranger spoke. She stepped out the shadows, revealing herself. Hiei smirked at her comment.

"Hey San, you were sent here to?" Yusuke questioned.

She smiled, "But of course!"

"Who's the pretty lady?" asked Kuwabara.

"That's San. She lives at the temple with Genkai. I was training with her, she was a lot nicer to me than Grandma," Yusuke answered.

"Pleased to meet you," she stated.

"Back to business. Detective, know that I plan to take my revenge on you, so consider this fair warning," said Hiei, turning to look back at Yusuke.

"Hiei we must focus on the current business before you start your own," said Kurama.

"Don't worry three eyes, if we survive this I'll be happy to take you on. Now is this the perfect team or what?" said Yusuke, as the five of them started towards Maze castle. Kurama fell back beside San.

"It's good to see you again," he spoke to her.

"Not bad, not bad at all. I'm actually excited," she replied to him.

"Do you think you'll be doing much fighting?"

"One can only hope. If not, I have healing powers that will definitely help out."

"Let's hope it doesn't come down to that."

They approached the entrance of the castle, stopping in front of it.

"Well, now this place is homey," Yusuke stated.

"So I guess were just gunna walk right in?" asked Kuwabara.

"Any prize worth having usually requires a risk," said Kurama.

"I say we make them come out here and fight us up front like they're not a bunch of sissy's."

"Hn. You're sense of strategy is amazing," said Hiei.

"Are you talking to me runt boy?"

"Let's go!" said Yusuke.

San could swear he heard Kuwabara mutter something under his breath, but she chose to ignore it. They walked through the tunnel of the entrance, seeing light at the end of it. How fucking cliche was that? She rolled her eyes at her thought. She smelled something coming at them. It was... an eyeball? It was flying on bat wings.

"What an amazing thing," she stated, as it flew closer to them. It stopped right at the doorway, not coming through it, just hovering there.

"Welcome to Maze Castle," it was female sounding.

"Whoa, it talked," said Kuwabara. Idiot, what was he doing here if he didn't expect such things?

"Those who enter Maze Castle must be tried by the gates of betrayal."

"What do you mean tried?" asked Yusuke. The creature then flew to the end of the wall, opened a stone and pulled a lever. The walls and ground started to shake. She looked around, wondering what was happening now.

"Urameshi, you just had to ask didn't ya?" said Kuwabara.

"The ceiling!" Kurama shouted. San looked up and the ceiling seemed to be coming down on them. The five of them held it, though it wasn't an easy thing to hold up.

"Heavy isn't it? Censors in the corridor are most intelligent. It adapts the ceilings weight precisely to the strength of its victims. Of course there is a catch, just enough leeway to allow one person to escape, leaving their friends to be crushed. Decisions must be made quickly, not even the five of you combined can hold the ceiling for long. Only the traitor among you deserve to enter Maze Castle," the creature laughed and flew away to watch from a distance.

"Boy I'd like to get my hands on that bat thing!" said Kuwabara, moving slightly. San felt the ceiling get heavier. It was as if gravity had doubled, not a pleasant feeling at all.

"Stay focused on the weight or you'll kill us all!" said Hiei.

"Oh yeah sure, blame me, I bet I'm holding up a lot more weight than you are!"

"Shut it Kuwabara!" said Yusuke.

"Well I'm not about to die for the sake of you worthless humans," said Hiei.

"Don't you even consider it Hiei," Kurama spoke to him.

"Damnit, I knew we should have played some trust games," said Yusuke, grunting. San was formulating a plan in her mind. If she could change to her wolf form, she could run and pull the lever, but that would mean revealing her form to Kurama, and she wasn't sure she was ready to do that yet. She was hoping Yusuke would figure something better out, seeing as it was his job to solve mysteries. The only other option was Hiei, with is speed, but she wasn't sure the demon would free them. If a decision wasn't made, she was going to act.

"If anyone tries to run I swear I'll drag them back myself!" said Kuwabara. What a damn fool he was.

"Ha, and I suppose you'd find it noble if we all died as a team," said Hiei. She could tell those two would be at each other's throats this whole adventure, which might not be much longer. The weight was really starting to bother her.

"That's right."

"Here's a thought, let's shut up and find a way out," said Yusuke. "Hiei! You're a lot faster than any of us, we'll hold the ceiling up while you go and flick the switch."

"You crazy, we can't trust that guy! Just look! He doesn't care about any of us!"

"You're ugly friend here is right. How do you know I can be trusted? How do you know I won't just let you die?" Hiei questioned smirking. San laughed out loud. "Something funny?" but she ignored him, the question not being important. "Are you sure you want to trust me? I could take my revenge now."

"Yeah, but I don't think quick deaths are your style," replied Yusuke. He started to glow, San feeling his reiki rising. He had definitely gotten stronger since his training with Genkai. "I'll let out all the reiki I have to buy us a little time, you run to the switch, just don't trip... I trust you, NOW GO!"

Hiei sat there for a moment staring, and then dashed off. He ran with his demon speed towards the switch and then stopped, staring at them. The loss of his strength made a huge impact on the weight they were holding. San's arms were completely numb, but she held up her end. She stared back at Hiei, trying to figure out what his next move would be. Her vision didn't say anything about this wall, and she had already seen Urameshi fighting with Suzaku, but this was a variable. This was something that could change the original fate really easily.

"What's the deal? Pull the stupid switch already!" said Kuwabara. The creature was talking to him, San was sure it was trying to convince him to kill them. She growled, her arms starting to give out, the pressure being too much. She saw him dash again and the noticed he attacked the critter. Good. He pulled the switch and she stayed on her knees. Holy hell she'd rather face what Yusuke did with Genkai than hold that much weight again.

"Are you alright?" Kurama asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him, seeing her mate at his touch.

"Hiei!" Yusuke screamed. San gasped, seeing a boulder occupy the spot Hiei was once standing. They ran towards the dust and saw him standing atop it. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tell your masters this is their chance to beg for mercy," Hiei told the eyeball before it flew away. Yusuke was the one who sounded relieved now.

"Hey are you okay?" asked Kuwabara.

"Yeah, I just can't feel my arms right now," Yusuke replied. San laughed, knowing that he probably had the same thought that she did not too long ago. Hiei jumped down from the boulder, "I knew you'd save us, you punk. But you did have me worried, hell of an actor. You know not everyone can pretend to laugh at their dying friends."

"Hn. Friends are just a crutch for the weak. And I wasn't acting," said Hiei before walking deeper into the castle. He stopped and turned at Kuwabara's cry of outrage, "Don't confuse it, the only reason I saved you is cause I might need your help."

"It's his way of saying your welcome. You will learn," Kurama explained for him.

"Right," Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"Well he still really pisses me off!" stated Kuwabara.

"Don't worry, he'll end your misery quick if you ask him really nice," San piped in, smiling.

"Haven't I seen you before?"

"Nope!" and she started following Hiei, the others not far behind her. Further into the castle they walked, not knowing exactly what to expect. They walked for what seemed like hours, feeling like they were going in circles. Everything seemed tense to San, and then she heard a ringing.

"Ahh! What is that thing?" Kuwabara freaked.

"Relax, it's just my communication device. Hey Botan," Yusuke answered, opening the communicator that looked like a mirror.

"Hello Yusuke, it's Botan here in the living world, do you copy?" she heard Botan's voice.

"Hey Botan, what's up?" Kuwabara greeted, practically shoving Yusuke out of the way.

"I've got things more or less under control here. The Makai insects only like to nest in depressed people's minds so that narrows down my search a bit. I just can't figure out how they're getting past the barrier. I've only killed 15 of those buggers."

"15? That's not very much help!" exclaimed Yusuke.

"Yusuke, fighting people controlled by the insects takes time, that's why you need to destroy that whistle."

"Okay, we're trying, but this castle is kind of rough."

"Well of course it is, no one survived before," stated Botan, as if it wasn't a big deal. San found that quite humourous and laughed out loud. Kurama looked at her strangely, while Hiei seemed to catch onto why she was laughing. It would figure that Koenma and Botan would send them in without informing them of every detail until it was too late to turn back. How amusing, it was like playing a game! Yusuke closed the communicator, and the five of them continued on their journey.

"Kurama, what do you know about the Saint beasts?" Yusuke asked. He seemed to finally catch on that he knew pretty well nothing about them. That wasn't very uncommon though, not many youki knew much to say about the beasts, just that they were powerful. No fool would challenge them... until now. Kurama was talking, but she felt a presence here, and decided to ignore him and figure out what she was hearing.

There was an evil laugh that silenced them all, "Terrified, isn't that more like it?"

"Who said that?" asked Kuwabara. He seemed to always be the jumpy one. If he wanted to continue on these missions, that was something that would definitely have to change. The laughter sounded once more.

"There is a door behind you. Proceed through it," it commanded. Yusuke didn't even discuss what could be a trap or not. Fool, this was one of those moments where she would wonder if he learned anything at all. For all he knew, there was something on the other side that could get the jump on him. She, Hiei and Kurama would be fine, having demon speed on their side, but the humans would probably have been done for.

"Ladies first," declared Yusuke. It led to an empty room, torches barely lighting it. Yusuke picked on up and threw it. The light revealed in the darkness a rock looking youki. Quite obviously the voice they were hearing.

The laughter started again. What was so funny? "Welcome trespassers. I am Genbu, of the four Saint Beasts, do you have a request before you die?"

"Yeah, tell me how a beasts is a saint? I'm lost..." answered Yusuke. San couldn't help but laugh at that. She did think he was quite the funny individual, having gotten to know him while he stayed at Genkai's temple.

"The stairwell is the only way to the castle tower. You can either defeat me and go up on your own, or be dragged there once you've stopped breathing. Why don't you all attack me at once?"

"Allow me to take this," Kurama stepped forward. San glared at him, not knowing why she was so protective of him. The feelings confused her.

"Are you sure?" asked Yusuke. She stared at him, trying to figure out if she should say something or not.

"It would be ill advised for all of us to attack without first knowing his power," and with that he stepped forward. San withdrew, getting ready to change when she had to.

"Hey wouldn't it be better to lead him back to that ceiling or something?" Yusuke was trying to reason.

"Obviously you don't know Kurama. I chose him to be my partner so I could avoid fighting him myself. Watch, he's more cutthroat than I am in battle, and even more precise," explained Hiei. That still didn't make San feel any better. She was going to stay on her guard to make sure nothing happened to him.

"I don't know guys, he still a talking rock," said Kuwabara. Idiot.

"Sir, the first move is yours," said Kurama, after approaching Genbu. She knew he was up to something, he was too intelligent to let him make a move without thinking of something first. She changed into her wolf form, she knew that this was going to get ugly. She walked up to stand next to Hiei.

-So nice of you to finally join us. I was wondering when you'd show up. Ready to reveal your secret yet?-

-He was going to find out I was the wolf soon enough.-

-That's not the one I'm talking about-

-I see, you've been silently penetrating my barriers. Well done. Now what will you do with such information?-

-Hn. I assume that there's a reason for hiding yourself?-

-Yes, I don't want anyone to know where or who I am. It makes my life easier to move freely-

-Funny how you don't talk much like a wolf when you've been found out-

-What do I have to do to keep your mouth shut?-

-Just stay out of my way, I don't care if you interfere with the other battles, stay out of mine. If I need anything else, I'll be sure to let you know-

-Agreed.-

The battle had begun. Genbu used his tail and let it move freely with the rock in the floor. His tail came up from behind Kurama. He barely dodged it, having a would on his stomach... again. San growled in her wolf form. She could smell Genbu, even though he was completely into the solid floor. The suspense seemed intense, and then he appeared yet again from behind. Kurama was fast, San had to give him that, as he used his swift moves to dodge the tail. There was another silent moment, and then Kurama pulled a rose out of his hair. He did something San was not expecting, he created the rose whip. Her eyes widened, as he stood there, waiting for his attacker. She knew that thing was strong enough to cut through rock, but was hoping Kurama was very adept with it.

...

_"Youko, how do you defend yourself besides swift moves like the kitsune you are? Do you not have any weapon? I know that all animal youki can control nature," she asks her lover._

_"Beloved, you must not worry so much about me. I can take care of myself. If you must know, I use the rose whip when necessary. I have mastered its abilities completely, nothing will be able to touch me when I pull out such a thing," he explains to her, running a finger along her jaw line._

_"I hope so Youko. Be careful, I love you."_

_"I love you, always."_

_..._

"Hey, where did the wolf come from? And where did San go?" asked Kuwabara. And here San thought that anything could get by him. Luckily for her Kurama was attacking Genbu, so all attention was focused back to the battle. The whip chopped through Genbu's body like it was air, but San already knew the properties of her mate's usual weapon. Genbu laid on the ground, chopped to pieces. The other three walked up to Kurama, but San was smarter than that.

-One thinks you should watch your back more closely- she said to Kurama. He was startled to see the wolf there, not knowing where she came from or even how she managed to get where he was. Nevertheless he turned his back, the wolf coming to stand in front of him growling. Genbu had reassembled himself.

"Excellent, I'll kill you and your stupid pet!" declared Genbu, coming to attack the both of them. As pieces of Genbu's body came to attack him, he used his whip and chopped him again.

-The ruby might help- the wolf suggested in his mind. The fool was standing in the middle of the rocks. She leaped, biting the ruby with her teeth. Without the ruby, Genbu wasn't able to reassemble himself properly. She brought it to Kurama, while Genbu was trying to figure out what was wrong. He smirked, taking the object from San and held it up, showing the beast why he was screwed over. He then destroyed it, killing the beast. It was a great defeat, until he dropped to his knees. San sniffed at his wound, before changing back into her human form.

_-I knew she was the wolf- stated Youko._

-Quiet, I don't believe that now is the time-

"You damn fool," she muttered, beginning her healing process.

"I had a feeling that was you. You're a wolf demon," said Kurama.

"Be still baka."

"It's not that serious. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, it's so fine that you can barely stand on your two feet. I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"We all have our off days."

"Oh great, now your starting to sound like me."

Kurama smiled, "Let's hope I do the same for you."

_-Shuuichi, she really might be the one!-_

-It seems to make a bit more sense now, but now is not the time to discuss any of this. We'll have to wait until this mission is over-

_-Very well-_

"Are you okay?" asked Yusuke, the troops running towards the two.

"I'm sorry Yusuke."

"You've earned your brake, don't worry about it."

"I'll take the next one anyway," said Kuwabara.

"Hn. If Kurama is injured than we're going to have some problems."

"San, I didn't know you could change into a wolf?"

"Yeah, it's part of my demon powers."

"I wish Grandma could've taught me how to do that."

"Are you deaf? I told you, it's part of my demon powers. I'm not human, remember? Dumbass."

"Dumbass, dimwit, I just don't get a break!"

San laughed at his antics. She really did enjoy the company of Yusuke around the temple. She couldn't heal Kurama's wound completely, but it would be good enough if they ran into any more trouble and needed his help for any of it. Hiei was right, Kurama was someone to be reckoned with, and his injury just proved how much trouble these damn beasts were going to bring. It was probably best if she stayed out of the fighting until absolutely necessary. Once Kurama was ready, they continued on into the castle, up the stairs that could lead to their deaths.


	7. Demonology and Heartache

Hiei was searching for the detective. Koenma and his stupid errands, he could have easily delivered the next mission to Yusuke, but no, for some reason he decided to call upon Hiei. There was no excuse for idiocy. He didn't want to be Koenma's little dog, but at this point he didn't have much choice. He already knew the mission, and was planning on having it done with before Yusuke even knew what was going on. He didn't need any help, not even from Kurama or San. He thought about San, and if he should tell the fox. She seemed adamant that no one know who she was, and Hiei already knew she was suspicious of Kurama. She didn't know who the fox really was, she just knew he had a lot of the same characteristics. His final decision was to let it play out, seeing how long it would take for either of them to discover the other. At least he would have some entertainment that way, and he could use San for something if it turned out he really needed it. He could smell the detective near him, and turned so that he would head him off. He already knew the mission, and was pissed off Koenma wasn't sending him on it. No matter, Koenma couldn't stop him from getting a head start. Yukina...

...

"Kurama, thank you for meeting me today," greeted Koenma. Besides needing his insight to understand Hiei, San had informed Koenma that anyone looking for her was to be told that she had passed. And by looking for her she meant Moriko, which meant that he had to deceive Kurama, by telling him that his mate had died. This information meant that the two of them had no idea who the other was, but the amount of time they spent together suggested they suspected something. The attraction between them wasn't surprising, but San would know if something was said, and he needed her to help with Yusuke.

"It's not a problem. Have you sent him yet?" replied Kurama.

"Yes. Yusuke should have the mission by now, but it will be hours before he really figures out what's going on. By that time I'm hoping that Yusuke has the mission complete by then. I'm also hoping that he won't kill any humans along the way."

"Hiei should be well enough to avoid such things."

"You'd better hope so, if he screws up, you take the punishment as well."

"I'm well aware of the consequences."

"There's... something else I need to tell you..." Koenma paused. He sighed heavily, not really knowing how to tell him, seeing as it would crush him.

"Yes?" Kurama waited patiently, wondering what was so hard to tell him.

"It's about Moriko. The other day she passed through here..."

"And?" Kurama focused on Koenma.

"She passed through here as a spirit. She's dead..."

The impact of those two words sent a shock through his whole body. He heard the wail of Youko in his mind, a sound he wished to never hear again. He himself felt that he lost someone precious. A tear slid down his face. Moriko... The pain, he hadn't felt a pain like this in 15 years, but it felt much worse than he remembered. There wasn't much to say, but Kurama had to focus on the current situation. In a small way he wished Hiei did kill some humans, being locked away doesn't seem to matter anymore, with her gone...

"Kurama?" questioned Koenma. He knew that this was hard for Kurama right now, but the Reikai still needed him. There was no way to avoid telling him, and he was hoping that he would still be able to function properly, Kurama's intelligence in combat were a great asset to Reikai.

"Forgive me, I wasn't expecting to hear such news," he answered, his eyes still downcast.

"Are you okay?"

"I've been better, will you excuse me?"

"Yes, of course."

Kurama stood and left the room, very aware of Koenma's gaze. He didn't know where he was going, he just needed to go. Moriko was here, she walked through these doors, as a spirit. The thought stung just like it did when he first heard the words. He started to run, the tears falling freely. He was running at demon speed, into the woods near Yusuke's mission. He wasn't aware of this, he just wanted to somehow outrun the depression he felt. He stopped at the top of the mountain, wiping the tears from his face. She was dead, gone, she wasn't coming back, he would never see her again, his beloved. The words constantly replayed in his head, and then he screamed. He screamed as loud as he can for all the nothing to hear... or so he thought.

"My heart once made that sound when I was separated from my mate and it did again when I realized my kids were no longer with me, and now here you stand making the same one. Care to tell me what's going on?" he heard someone ask him. He turned, and just as he expected, there was San. But he couldn't look at her, she reminded him to much of Moriko. Fuck! More tears, he'd never cried before in his life, "Mind telling me what's going on?" she asked, truly curious as to what was going on. He was silent. He felt her move, and then her hand on his shoulder. She saw the image of Youko at his touch, and Kurama's tears doubled, seeing Moriko in front of his closed eyes, the image burned into his brain.

"My mate... she... she's dead," he choked out the words. She couldn't say she felt his pain, but it hurt to hear that his mate was dead, because that meant he wasn't Youko after all. Was he still out there? She felt the need to comfort him, he was her friend after all, the only one that really understood her. She hugged him, and to her surprise, he hugged her back, tightly. It reminded her so of Youko, how he would hold her when there was something wrong. She was gentle, like Moriko, and she made him feel as if his beloved wasn't really gone. They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other for as long as needed.

They broke apart, not standing too far off from each other. He stared into her tawny eyes, even though it killed him. She looked into those green orbs, for the first time seeing emotion. The only thing that set her off was the flash of gold. Was he getting closer? He was, and she would've welcomed his kiss if it wasn't for Youko. For all she knew, he was still out there somewhere. She turned her head, and he kissed her cheek. She was loyal to her mate, that he was gracious about.

"Forgive me, that was terribly inappropriate. I didn't mean to put you in the position," he apologized, taking a step back from her.

"Hiei is approaching," she stated, deciding it was better to change the subject.

"Hiei? Coming here?"

"Yes. You didn't notice that you were near Yukina?"

"No, I just ran."

"Well, he's in the house, about to kill a human, I'd say we better move. Think you can keep up?"

He smirked, "After experiencing you run as a wolf, we'll see how much slower you are in your human form."

"No need to get cocky now," and with that she took off. Kurama was surprised that he was able to smile again, pushing this news to the side for now, he took off after San. If Hiei killed the human responsible for imprisoning his sister, then Kurama was convicted along with him. He wasn't going to let that happen, even if the monster deserved to die. He arrived just as Yukina had stopped Hiei from further hurting her captor. San held a finger to her lips, making it possible for the two of them to talk uninterrupted.

"You look familiar, do I know you?" Yukina asked Hiei.

"I'm no one," he answered her.

"Well thank you for saving me. Oh no!" and she ran off to help Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan. San smiled, seeing what was to come between Yukina and Kuwabara. She was surprised than anyone could like him, but she would have to see a vision about it to really believe it. He was such a terrible flirt, but she knew he would be good for the gentle ice apparition. Hey eyes traveled to the spirit sword that was sticking out of their enemy. She gasped, walking closer to the window.

"San?" questioned Kurama.

"Toguro..." one person she was not expecting to see at all in her lifetime. All youki knew of him, knew of his strength, but only she and Genkai knew the real story behind him, and how he acquired his powers. He was a force to be reckoned with, and she knew that Yusuke and Kuwabara were no where near powerful enough to defeat him. She had to ponder this for a while, figure out what he was doing here, and if he was really dead. Yusuke and Botan had come up to join her, Kurama and Hiei, leaving Yukina and Kuwabara by themselves with the supposed dead Toguro brothers. She had to know, she had to make sure, she didn't want him coming back for them, any of them. She didn't hear what any of them were talking about, she was waiting until they left before she checked on Toguro. It wasn't long, though she noted that Kurama stayed behind as well.

"What is it San?" he asked, waiting for a reaction from her.

"I just... can't believe that they're here. I have to make sure they're dead, I can't walk away without knowing," she explained.

"Understood. Let's go have a look," he replied, grabbing her arm gently and leading her toward the elevator. His touch always shocked her, and put the image of Youko in her mind. Kurama could say the same, seeing Moriko in her naturally, but physical contact made things worse. He was still hurt at the news that she was gone, but being with San was already proving to make things better. Even if he could mate with her, he didn't think he would do it, he loved Moriko too much for that. They arrived on the floor where the battle took place. He watched as she walked up to Toguro, kneeling down beside him. She stared at the face, not believing that he was here in the flesh. She put two fingers to the vital on his neck, checking for a pulse. The moment she touched him, a vision came through. There she was on the side lines of a ring, and fighting, was him, Youko. He was fighting in what looked like a tournament... the Dark Tournament. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Botan, Keiko, Koenma, Yukina, a masked fighter and a tall girl she didn't recognize were all around her. They were focused on the fight in front of them. Youko started to shimmer, and it looked like he was changing, but she was taken out of the vision at that time. She was breathing heavily.

"San? Are you alright?" Kurama was there, comforting as always.

"I... had a vision..." she trailed, not comprehending that she was going to see Youko, and somehow Toguro was going to lead her to him. This meant that clearly he was not dead, but she wasn't to interfere with fate, not if it lead her to her mate.

"You are... a seer?" asked Kurama, making another note of a similarity between her and Moriko.

"I guess? I've always had visions, even as a demon. But Kurama I'm so happy, I'm going to see my mate soon! He'll be..." and then the realization his her. They were all in danger, "... he'll be... at the Dark Tournament..."

"The Dark Tournament? Are you certain?"

"I'm very sure. We should probably get out of here, I suspect he'll be waking up soon."

"Perhaps Koenma should be informed of this."

"He'll know soon enough, trust me. Now let's move," and she changed into her wolf form, running with Kurama back to civilization. She changed back to her human form once they reached close to the edge of the forest. They stopped at the street, not really ready to part with each other yet. She felt bad, declaring she was going to see her mate knowing that he had just lost his. Life was cruel, but she was sure he could find another, one that may even be better than the last.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked hopeful. He didn't know why, but he just liked spending time with her.

"Sure, meet at the usual place?"

"Yes. I must be getting to my mother now. Farewell."

"Try to sleep tonight okay?" she offered with a smile, and then turned her own way. Kurama watched as she disappeared, waiting until she was completely gone before turning to be off on his own way. The misery settled in again, and maybe that was why he wanted to spend more time with San. She made him forget that he was now alone, that Moriko was gone.

_-She was good not to betray her mate like that-_

-She was. How are you feeling?-

_-I have had better days. I wish I could have seen her once more-_

-Yes. I would've loved to meet her-

_-She was fond of humans. She never cared to harm them unless they tried to take what was hers-_

-I know. I feel like I knew her my whole life, thanks to her memory kept alive by you. I feel like I've lost everything, knowing that she's gone-

_-You are not that bad... for a human-_

-Thank you-

...

_She walks along the street, shopping for some food. She always finds it hard to shop for things in Makai, being that most of the youki ate humans. This village was different, it was managed mostly by animal spirits, making it easy to find what she needed. She does not see the bandits following her, but she smells them. She leads them away from her shopping, past a tall drunk youki and into an alleyway. She knows that they are no match for her, and welcomes the fun she can have with them._

_"Nice tail, why don't you show us the rest of you?"_

_Idiot. She smiled maliciously at him, aching to get this started._

_"What's goin' on here then? Are these creeps botherin' you sheila?" the accented voice of the drunk comes into the alleyway._

_"Leave, this one is ours."_

_"Oh really? From the looks of things she's already been marked by another demon, I suggest you mind yer own business. Off with yeh then," and he takes more to drink. She wonders what he plans to do, knowing that he means her no harm. He respects the mark of Youko on her shoulder, and she respects that he is there to help. She does not care that he thinks her inferior, but appreciates the gesture. The idiots get started, and the drunken master is too quick for them. She understands his power, and knowing he does not need it, shows him what she can do. He looks impressed, as the two demons lay dead on the ground before them._

_"Good fightin' sheila. I'm Chu," he turns to her, extending a hand._

_"Moriko. Thank you for the help. I must be getting back to my mate now."_

_"Let's hope to see you around."_

_..._

_"Beloved, are you having trouble?" he questions her, wondering what was wrong. She holds her head, face in distress._

_"A vision..." she trails, sitting down in their make shift den._

_"What did you see?" he asks, walking over to her, taking her in his arms. He kisses the top of her head, already feeling like this vision was troubling her._

_"The demon hunters, they are going to come for us. We will run, narrowly escaping them. We run to the world of the living, and are separated. You reside in an unborn fetus, saving it's life. I fall, possibly to my death. The only thing that is certain, our young die, even if I am to survive," she explains, burrowing her face into his chest and shedding tears. He does not know what to think, feeling her pain. He hates when she is in pain. He brings his hand to her swollen abdomen, feeling the lives within her._

_"Koishii, I will not let such events take place. If we do happen to separate, I will search the ends of this world and the next to find you, and I will not rest until you are safe with me again. I love you Moriko, I will do everything to protect the pack, and our young."_

_She kisses him, passionately, "I love you my precious kitsune. I just hope that this does not come true."_

_"We control our future, never forget that."_

_..._

San would never forget that. Though they may control the future, it seems that all events occur in the way of her visions coming true. She only altered one vision in the many years she had been having them. She had to trust them, there wasn't much of a choice. Besides, if this one meant seeing Youko again, being reunited, then she would do everything possible to make it happen. She felt kind of guilty about Kurama, and that was unnatural to her. As she rose out of bed to get ready to see him today, she had a sense of dread. She hadn't told Genkai about Toguro yet, the master of the temple being asleep when she arrived home. She was going to tell her though, knowing she couldn't refuse this. Yusuke was her student, San felt it was important that she knew.

She left her room and went into the kitchen. Breakfast was already made, but the feeling in the room was not what she was used to. She could sense something was wrong, but didn't know how to begin or if she should ask or not. Her questions would be answered soon. She could sense demons approaching, and these weren't your regular ones. These ones were special. They came to the door and opened it. San knew that Genkai could defend herself, but nevertheless, she stood, getting into a defensive stance.

"Master Genkai, we have come to invite you as a guest to the Dark Tournament," said the youki in the middle.

"Your impostor, I made my wish, leave me be," she replied, not even bothering to look at them.

"Because of your wish, it is purely your choice to participate or not. Your pupil, Yusuke Urameshi is also a guest in this tournament, and he has no choice but to accept our offer," and with that they disappeared. The room was quite and eerie.

"They will recruit Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama, they'll need a fifth fighter. San, you'll go."

"I'm going no matter what, I will be reunited with my mate. But there is something I need to tell you. Yusuke fought Toguro on his last mission. His team is most likely the one they'll have to defeat. He deceived Yusuke and Kuwabara into believe that they killed him. But I knew when I saw him there that they weren't nearly powerful enough to defeat Toguro," San explained.

"I see. If Yusuke is smart, he'll come back here for training. I will be attending, but I'll go undercover. You'll be the replacement fighter, if anyone dies."

"Understood. I'll be back later to start training with him. I know I'll need to improve, whether I'm fighting or not. I'll need to work on my healing skills as well."

Genkai grunted as a dismissal, and San left to go meet Kurama. She couldn't help but think about this upcoming tournament. Her heart wasn't really in the fighting, but she knew she would have to if she wanted to see her precious kitsune, more than anything. She stayed as a human, taking the train into town. It was always a long train ride, but in some ways, it calmed her. She was worried about this tournament, knowing that two people were going and could possibly be killed. Yusuke didn't even know the spirit wave yet, he would need that if he hoped to fight with Toguro. She was the fifth fighter, she had to train with Genkai and possibly Yusuke for the next two months, this was probably the last time she'd see Kurama until then. She sighed, not knowing why she felt sad about leaving Kurama when she found Youko. She'd still be his friend, but she was sure that her and Youko would go back to life as they knew it, and she would do her best to get back to Makai, even though the barrier was blocked. She met Kurama on the street, and the two of them headed towards the park.

They filled their time with small talk, mostly just enjoying the company, but then they looked at each other in alarm. Someone was approaching them, both of them trying to figure out who and from where. San felt this presence before, earlier that day, in the temple, "Hiei..." Kurama trailed, and the small fire demon was at their side. But that's not who they were waiting for. The same demons that were at Genkai's earlier approached them. San knew what they wanted, having heard the speech earlier. They stopped, not too far in front of the three demons.

"Good to see you again San. Hiei, Kurama, you two and San have been invited to participate in the Dark Tournament, on the team of Yusuke Urameshi. If you refuse the offer, you will be killed. We look forward to seeing you in two months," the demon told them, before leaving. They disappeared, leaving the three of them to their own devices.

"You've seen those demons before?" questioned Hiei.

"Yes. They showed up to the temple, to inform Genkai and personally invite her. She's able to refuse, because of her wish," San explained.

"Her wish?"

"Does it have something to do with Toguro?" asked Kurama, remembering her reaction to him, and how she wanted to know if he was dead.

"Yes. The last tournament that took place, Toguro and Genkai participated and won. I suspect they were lovers back then, very close. But Genkai didn't care about power, and that was what separated the two of them. When they won, she wished to never be bothered with it again, and Toguro wished for the power that he has now. If the tournament is starting up again, then someone is looking for something, and we can bet it'll affect all of us, human and youki alike," the two listened to her words. The wind blew, it was a dark wind, making San feel like the intensity was brought up much more. And then she felt it, what she feared. Toguro... he was alive.

"Follow me," she declared, knowing that they felt it to. They ran towards the massive power surge that nearly took her off her feet. Hiei was leading, but that was natural, he was the fastest of the three. San was behind him, and Kurama was coming up in the rear. They arrived to the source of all the problems. Kuwabara was on a rooftop near a building that was being destroyed, while the other three watched. Toguro was standing in the rubble, Yusuke just breaking free. He was fast and he was powerful, but San knew that wasn't his full potential. He spoke to Yusuke, and then he left. The three demons watched him, and he stopped, turning to look at them.

"I presume you've been invited. You better find a replacement fighter," he stated, before walking away.

"I suppose it's time to start training," said San, leaving the two of them and heading back to Genkai's temple. She was expecting Yusuke there, and then they would begin. She was getting closer to seeing Youko, and that was worth struggle. Two more months and she would be on her way.


	8. Preliminaries

Two months of training, intense training. Here the day came, and San was wondering if they, her and Yusuke, were ready. At Genkai's insistence, San left with Yusuke to get on the ship. They were going to be late, even with Yusuke's improved speed. So they ran, knowing that it would be faster than the transportation offered by local services. She could smell all kinds of different youki ahead. Kuwabara, the only human scent was there, and Kurama with Hiei were among those scents. They slowed down to a walk, San knowing that Yusuke would make a dramatic entrance. Genkai caught up with them, wearing a mask to hide herself. San knew the reasons for this, and she wasn't sure if she had confided in Yusuke about her decision to participate, so she kept it to herself.

"Wait sir, some of our team has some stragglers," San heard Kuwabara tell the captain.

"Then we'll just have to put a mark on their head and send a hit man out for them," he replied.

"Now, now, that's not necessary," said Yusuke, stepping out of the shadows with Genkai and San at his side, "Sorry to keep you waiting guys."

"You nearly gave me a heart attack Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled at him. The youki all around were talking.

"These forest hikes really wipe me out."

"Yeah, you look awful. Oh wait, that's just you," said Kuwabara, laughing at his joke.

"Yusuke..." Hiei stepped forward. He then pulled out his sword, lunging at the Reikai Tantei, attacking him with swift moves. San smirked, expecting this behaviour out of him, and watching Yusuke easily dodge each of his moves. They looked like a blur to the untrained eye.

"Damn Hiei, is this how you say hello to people?" Yusuke commented.

"Hn. I don't know where you've been all this time but it seems that you've improved your skills a little bit," replied Hiei.

"Improved a little bit? Oh man I'd say he improved a lot a bit!" declared Kuwabara.

"Don't be discouraged. The fact that you could follow their moves shows that you have improved as well," said Kurama.

"Right on Kuwabara!" said San, giving him a high five.

"So Yusuke, I assume the little one over there is going to be our alternate fighter for the team?" questioned Hiei.

"Actually no, I will be the alternate fighter," San answered.

"You mean this little guy here? He's even smaller than Hiei! And... what's wrong with his face? He looks like a mummy or something," said Kuwabara, walking up to Genkai. San laughed out loud at his antics. It made it even more humourous knowing who she was and everyone else being left in the dark.

"Trust me, that one's going to be a lot of help to us," said Yusuke.

"I don't know, he barely comes up to my waist."

"Forget him, Yusuke and I are all that we'll require," stated Hiei. What were the rest of them? Chopped liver? Damn bastard.

"Enough already, let's all get on board!" the captain called. The six fighters followed all the other youki onto the ship that was departing. San waited for this day, she was closer to him, to Youko. She couldn't feel him yet, but she knew she would soon. Just a little more patience and she would be there, and she would be happy again. The ship was hostile, that was for sure. None of these youki were even close to the power that one of the fighters on her team had. They were a waste of space on this ship, and she highly suspected they would try anything to be rid of them. They were all going to die, she knew Hiei too well to think that they would live long enough to get to the island.

"Shoot, nothing here but ugly monsters. I thought cruises were supposed to have pretty girls," said Kuwabara. San rolled her eyes. It seemed that any male human adolescent was way too preoccupied with the female and sex. She didn't have sex for the first time until she was about 1,500 or so, what was the big deal? She thought back to that night, and how amazing it would feel to be with him again...

"I sure hope the island isn't as boring as this," said Hiei.

"We are not on vacation remember?" Kurama reminded him.

"I know but, couldn't they at least give us a place to eat... with pretty waitresses?" asked Kuwabara.

"What an amazing thing," stated San.

"Hm?" Kurama turned to her. But she ignored him, feeling her statement didn't require an explanation. "My mate used to do that to," said Kurama. With the training on his mind, it was easier now to speak and think of her.

"Do what?"

"Ignore me when she felt my questions were not important. I suppose it must be the way of the wolves?"

"Not sure, you'd have to ask others. I've always been the way that I am, I don't change for anyone."

"Could I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure. But I'll decide if it deserves an answer."

"What was your name? The one you had in Makai."

"Oh Kurama don't be silly, wolves have no need of names!"

Kurama smirked, "I should have known I would not get my answer. I can see you have been training hard with Yusuke."

"Yep. We've been at it for two months. He got it harder, being at at disadvantage with me around, but I'd say he actually stands a chance against me now."

Kurama laughed out loud. He missed San in the two months of training he endured. It still bothered him, the way she reminded him constantly of Moriko, but in a way, she was keeping her alive, never letting him forget about the love he cherished. Youko seemed dormant since the training started, but that was expected. He was hoping that the demon inside didn't give up, seeing as he was very much apart of Youko, feeling, body, mind. Everything was felt at the same impact, whether it affected his life or Youko's, and that made the youki his closest friend.

"Alrighty matees, turn your eyes to the captains deck," the captain interrupted all conversation, "It'll still be going to be quite a time before the ship gets to the harbor, So we've got somethin' in mind t'keep ya from gettin' rowdy."

"Oh! I knew it, some dinner and dancing!" declared Kuwabara. Idiot.

"The preliminary battles of the tournament will be fought 'ere on me trusty ship," the captain announced. There was confusion everywhere.

"Say what?" asked Kuwabara.

"A preliminary for the competition," Hiei explained.

"Now that we can't go anywhere," added Kurama. The ship began to shake.

"Ahh! Earthquake!" said Kuwabara. Idiot.

"Fool, there can't be earthquakes on the water!" Hiei spoke her mind.

"Look!" Kurama pointed at the source of the disturbance. The center of the ship started to separate and a ring rose forth. San faintly wondered how this was going to go. She changed into her wolf form, preparing for battle. She knew that all these demons were going to try and get at Yusuke.

"Whoa! That things huge!" said Kuwabara. Did he really have to constantly point out the obvious? What silly creatures humans were sometimes. She had to admit, they had their entertaining moments.

"Now I'll tell it t'ya straight. 15 teams have already been selected to compete in the Dark Tournament. They're already awaitin' your arrival. That means out of all of you left on my ship only one team will compete on dry land," the captain explained. San growled at the other demons, preparing herself for any of their stupid moves.

"Hold on, I thought that we were the special guests?" questioned Kuwabara.

"This is the way they operate," Hiei stated.

"All teams pick out your strongest men and bring him to the ships port side. Then we'll have a battle royal! And whoever goes out alive get's their team a ticket to fight on Hangin' Neck Island!" the demons cheered at the conclusion of the captain's speech. They started towards the ring, Team Urameshi staying put to make a decision.

"Hey, you're the one who wants to fight them and as the group leader, it's your responsibility," declared Kuwabara, walking up to Yusuke. It turned out that their team leader was asleep, "Hey, wake up Urameshi! I said it's the group leader's responsibility!"

"Stop. The training Yusuke went through was apparently immense. We must give him time to recuperate," said Kurama.

"Then who's going to fight with all the big monsters?" but just as Kuwabara asked that, Genkai started walking towards the ring. San lolled her tongue out, laughing at the fates of the youki in the ring.

"Hn. It seems we have a volunteer. Good, I'm anxious to see what he can do," said Hiei, watching the retreating back of Genkai.

"Are you serious? We don't know jack squat about that guy! What if he loses and we get booted from the tournament?" Kuwabara freaked.

"If that happens then we simply kill all the others and say we're the right team when we reach the island. No one will know the difference."

"You didn't have too many friends growing up did you?"

Genkai was ready on the platform, and it looked like all the other demons were going to gang up on her. San wasn't worried, she knew better. But still, she was ready to bite the heads off any of the pathetic pests if they tried anything funny. She hadn't bitten the head off anything in a while, or even taken this form. It was a good way to break it in again, feeling the heads sever with her teeth. It was amazing how the animal instincts came in so naturally in this form. Genkai was ready, the demons were about to attack. San felt her energy growing, and then she unleashed it. A series of spirit bullets, striking them all and killing them instantly.

"Holy crap! He handled everyone up there with one blow!" captain obvious pointed out.

"I guess that explains why Yusuke can sleep so peacefully on a boat full of demons," said Kurama. Wow, Kuwabara must be rubbing off on him. Maybe it was a bad idea to train him.

"Sorry to say that the team going on will be Yusuke Urameshi's team!" the captain announced.

"Good job little man, now how about you let us see what's under those bandages?" asked Kuwabara when Genkai approached. She merely pointed behind him, ready to attack. "Wouldn't you know it? Demons not willing to fight by the rules."

"I think they stole my idea, we'll have to make them pay very dearly for that," said Hiei.

"Of course," concluded Kurama, pulling a rose out of his hair. Genkai, Hiei and Kurama jumped out of the way, to take on a string of their own demons. San leaped, biting off the head of a particularly ugly youki, not liking the stench of him either. The battle didn't last long at all, these pathetic weaklings being no match for any of them. Blood, demon blood, she hadn't tasted it in a while, and it only invigorated her. All the separate radius' were demolished, just as one demon who thought he was smart went for the kill on Yusuke.

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled,

"Now DIE!" screamed the youki. He was thrown across the ship, unconscious. San leaped over to where he was and severed his neck from his head, just to make sure he didn't try to pull a fast one again. She looked over at Yusuke, seeing him attack in his sleep. He was screaming something, but she didn't hear it. She licked the blood away from her mouth and changed back into her human form.

"Impressive," Kurama complimented her. She smiled back at him.

"Well that's a relief, he's finally awake," said Kuwabara.

"No fool. He's still sleeping," Hiei told him.

"Right now?"

"Quit you stupid old lady!" yelled Yusuke, still throwing punches. San laughed, remembering all of his comments during the training. He seemed to be the only one who could get away with talking to her the way that he did. She would never dare even think about talking to Genaki like that, not after everything the old woman had done for her.

"Even in his slumber, Yusuke is reliving his training. His preparations should make us all jealous," said Kurama. Kuwabara started mumbling about something. San smirked, as he stared at Genkai. Was there any possible way he figured it out? It was plainly obvious if you'd seen her before, which San knew he had.

"What are you mumbling?" asked San, as she walked away with the others.

"Hn. He's trying to talk in his sleep when he's still awake," said Hiei.

"Hey, what happened to the fight we were just in?"

"Everyone's dead."

...

The ride proceeded without any other interruptions. San stared into the open water, feeling the breeze from the speed they were going. She fell in beside Kurama. She wondered why he was absent from her vision, but couldn't quite figure it out. It was a variable, maybe she didn't see him, who knew? Her vision was her dream every night, the golden eyes of Youko, the silver hair and the nine tails. She missed him more now, knowing that she would be with him again soon.

"You are thinking about him, aren't you?" Kurama asked her. In truth, he was sad that when she was reunited with her mate, he probably wouldn't see her again. They would naturally be off together to make up for the lost time.

"You a mind reader?" she replied, staring at the island that was getting bigger as they approached.

He chuckled lightly, "No, San. But I can see in your eyes the feelings you have for him. You think about him quite frequently."

"I can't stop. I'm so close."

"Might I ask who he is?"

San smiled, "Legendary..." was all she said. Kurama knew that he wasn't going to get much more information out of her. That suited him fine, he would find out who her mate was soon enough. He was hoping that her mate wouldn't be killed before she got a chance to see him. He knew how it felt, to lose someone like that, and he didn't want to see her go through it herself. The ship docked on the harbour, letting its passengers get off. Kuwabara was carrying Yusuke, and they were directed to a hotel, where they would be staying for the duration of this tournament. They sat in the common room, tea being placed on the table in font of them.

"Careful. Those fancy guys might be trying to poison us," said Kuwabara.

"Does that really make sense Kuwabara? Why would they bring us all the way here just to poison us?" Kurama questioned him.

"The organizers want to see us fight. They'll save the murder attempts for tomorrow," Hiei threw in there.

"You guys can talk your logic all you want. I'm staying with the trusty old aluminum," said Kuwabara, digging in his bag and then pulling out a soda. Kurama gasped quietly, but San hear him, sitting on his left side and all.

"Why is there only one coffee cup on the table?" he asked, bringing it into attention.

"That's the one I'm not drinkin' remember? Duh, we had this conversation."

"Yes, so there should be two. One for you and one for Yusuke."

"Wow, you think Urameshi can drink in his sleep to?"

"Are you fucking serious? Like, are you for real? Honestly, you really need to use your brain more, every comment makes you look like a child," San told him exasperated. She couldn't take his constant interpretation of the very obvious, nor his dumb excuses and questions. Common sense genius! Although, she probably shouldn't have snapped like that, it was unfair, "I'm sorry, I must be getting close to feminine problems," the shitty part, she still did have times when she was in heat, even as a human. It seemed more so in a human body than in her demon form.

"Uh, that's great and all San, but that still doesn't explain where the other coffee cup went."

How curious that the question be answered in perfect timing. There was slurping coming from behind the couch, how could Kuwabara, or even Genkai not see him? Sitting atop a table was a little boy, but San knew better than that. He was a demon, and he laughed at them.

"How did you get in here?" asked Kurama.

"He, must've been in here before we got in the room," said Kuwabara. San was impressed.

"Nope! I came through the door after you got here, isn't that what good boys are supposed to do? Oops, I guess I did forget to knock though," came his answer. He took another drink and continued to talk, while everyone was in a defensive stance, "So, you guys are the special guests aren't you? You're so lucky. My name is Rinku by the way, I'm on the Rekuyukai team that you'll be fighting tomorrow."

"Is that so?" said Kuwabara.

"I wish I was a guest," Rinku continued, ignoring him, "they don't have to go through all those boring ceremonies and meetings about the rules. You just show up here and fight, guess you don't need to learn about prizes and final battle stuff since your going to be dead soon. Somebody told me the guests would be special so I got excited, but you don't look special at all. Maybe I'll even beat you no hands."

"Don't you think your talking too much Rinku?" another intruder in they're room. San was definitely letting her guard down, that was two that came into their room without any of them noticing.

"What? Who is he? Something's wrong, I didn't sense either of them come in," asked Kuwabara, but San noticed and now realized that he was just speaking out loud, and probably not realizing that he was thinking these thoughts. Rinku got up from his spot and walked over to the other demon.

"Hey there Zeru, I was just saying how-de-do to our enemies," said Rinku. They both walked towards the door, the new demon opening it.

"Enjoy your last night with the living. Let's just say tomorrow we'll see you strongly resembling your coffee cup," said Zeru. San felt the energy, but just barely. He split the coffee cup in half, without even moving from his spot. Then the door closed, the demons gone from their original post.

"What an amazing thing," San stated to the quiet room.

"Hn. That's really infuriating you know," Hiei responded to her.

"Thanks!" she said, smiling at him. He looked away with a scowl on his face, but that was normal for Hiei. Kurama couldn't help but agree with him. Sometimes she was infuriating when she made statements like that, but that was just a part that he enjoyed about her. The thought of her leaving when she found her mate really upset him. He didn't want her to leave, she seemed to be the only one she'd ever found that could understand him. He just didn't like how she only affected him because of Moriko. Over the two month period that he was away from her, he realized that he had developed feelings for her. It was wrong, but that human part of him just couldn't help it.

_-She is mated Shuuichi, she'll never consider us.-_

-I know, but one can dream.-

_-I could not do such a thing. Even if my beloved gone, I would feel like we were betraying her.-_

_-_Understood Youko. Forgive me, there are humans parts of me that I'm not sure you quite understand.-

_-Just do not do anything foolish Shuuichi.-_

That was the first time the two of them had spoken since the news of Moriko's death. Kurama was so connected to his demon side the pain was nearly unbearable, but they got through it. The others had been talking, all the while Yusuke was sleeping. Kurama rose from his seat and walked to the window, staring out into the night. Their first match was tomorrow, and San couldn't fight in Yusuke's stead unless one of them died. He was happy that she wasn't the fifth fighter, fearing for her safety. He knew she could hold her own in a fight, but he'd just prefer if she didn't fight at all. Her powers increased since he had seen her last, that was for sure. She still preferred fighting as a wolf, and he was curious about that. She had training as a human, at least, that's what Yusuke had told him before. He wished that choices like these were laid out like a battle. There was no way to figure out how to go about making a move when it came down to matters of the heart. Especially a matter that he couldn't do anything about, even though he wished he could.

"What's out there?" San asked him, standing beside him and looking in the same direction.

"I was not really looking," replied Kurama.

"I know, but I thought maybe you should," she smiled.

"May I ask why?"

"If you must," and she waited, continuing her gaze.

"Well?"

"Yes?"

"Aren't you going to tell me why?"

"You didn't ask me why."

"Pardon?"

"You asked me if you could ask why, but you never actually asked me why, so I never answered," she smiled brightly, looking up into his green orbs. He was conflicted, and she wondered why, but didn't bother to ask. He probably wouldn't tell her anyway. Kurama looked stunned for a moment, and then he began to laugh. He laughed loudly, letting out all kinds of frustration, pain, anguish, years of it that had been kept inside. It wasn't really all that funny, but once he started laughing and hearing her voice inside his head, it was contagious. She was the second person in his entire life to ever make him laugh like that. How she did it was amazing, and it only made him admire her more, letting the pain wash over. He didn't show it, feeling better, but he was alone, and he missed Moriko, but if this girl could just duplicate somehow, he would be the happiest man in all worlds.

"I don't get it, what's so funny?" asked Kuwabara. But his question went unanswered. Hiei looked on with a smirk. They were getting along great just as he expected they would, just as anyone who knew their story would. He didn't understand why they felt that they had to tip toe around each other. It wasn't his responsibility to tell the fox, it was hers. She could easily have went into his mind and found the demon that really resided in Kurama, but she refused to penetrate the minds of others.

"Fool. You'd better get some sleep, we might actually need you tomorrow," said Hiei, and then vacated the room.

Kurama smiled at San, "Sleep well," he told her. She smiled back at him and then turned in the direction of her room. Kurama watched her go and then turned to retire to his own bed. The first battle was tomorrow, and he knew he wouldn't get much sleep.

...

thanks to everyone that has reviewed and read my story so far, you are really an inspiration, keep 'em comin :)


	9. First Fight

Dawn came way too early for her. Or maybe because she was dreading having to start the tournament. There was no way possible that she would fight, she didn't foresee any of the team members' death. Except for one, and by then it was too late. She wouldn't fight, things would be settled so long as Yusuke fought Toguro. San was not looking forward to the events to come, other than seeing Youko again. She always felt that something bad had to happen in order for her to have something good, that seemed to be the track her life always played out. She wondered when he would appear, growing impatient. She wondered many things, if he would recognize her in this form, if he even remembered her. What would she say to him? What if he questioned why she didn't find him sooner? She sighed, wishing she had a vision to find this out faster, making it easier to gauge his reaction. She looked out the window longingly. Soon...

"San?" she heard Kurama's voice on the other side of the door. She got out of bed and opened it, revealing his smiling face, "Good morning, I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, I was already awake. Didn't sleep much last night," she replied, letting him come into her room. Kurama looked around, noticing how clean it was. His attention was drawn back to her, and the lack of clothing she seemed to sleep in. He did his best to hide his wandering eyes, "What brings you here?"

"I was just making sure you were awake to attend our first battle. I'm not sure what to expect, but I do know that we will need you."

"Such little faith, you think someone's going to die in the first round?"

"While that is another possibility, my meaning was leaning more towards your healing techniques."

"Oh, that's all I'm good for now, I see how it is," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. He chuckled at her antics, never a dull moment with her. She grabbed some clothes and walked into her bathroom. Kurama waited patiently, trying to get her image out of his mind. She was mated, there was nothing he could do, and there was no point in putting himself through pain for no reason. He wished that he knew who her mate was, then he would have an idea of why she was so loyal to him. He already knew that wolves always mated for life, she was obviously no exception. He had thought about asking her what her demon life was like, but knew she probably wouldn't answer him.

San felt strange around Kurama. She was worried about him. It seemed that being a human for so long was really taking a toll on her. She was caring naturally, being a female wolf demon, and then a ruler at one point. Still, there was no telling what this tournament would bring for any of them, especially if she had to fight. Given the circumstances, she was hoping she would remain an alternate, and never have to fight in this tournament, she didn't want to lose any of her friends. But the vision she had not too long ago about Genkai was going to come true, and there would be no chance for escape at that point. It was fate, something that she couldn't interfere in, but she knew that if all went well, she would see the old woman again, after the moment of truth.

"Ready?" she asked Kurama, who seemed to be deep in thought. She didn't understand why he hid all of his emotions, you had to look closely to even get a glimpse of them.

"Of course," came his reply, and he led the way out of her room and towards the stadium. No sign of any humans anywhere. She knew that was coming, seeing as most of the demons here were only attending to watch Yusuke and the rest of the team die. No one knew of her, and she grateful for that. While Youko was a legend, she was just beneath him, everyone knew they were mated, and everyone knew of her history. It was hard to be a ruler and not be known for anything, the two just didn't mix. It made things easier to hide her scent as a human, and she wasn't powerful enough to turn demon. Changing into her wolf form suited her just fine when it came down to fighting. Fighting as a human just wasn't satisfying enough, she preferred her natural form, but this would do just fine. She could heal and that was plenty helpful. She kept her senses up, many demons around. She knew Youko, but she didn't feel him anywhere. She didn't expect to see him in the first fight anyway, and he was going to be in the ring, not in the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Koto and I'll be your cute host for this years tournament and it's going to be a messy one. For those in the first few rows, raincoats are available!" the fox demon in the middle of the ring announced, "Now here's the introduction you boys have been waiting for... Team Rokuyukai!" The crowd went wild as the opposing team approached form the shadows on the other side. San eyed them all, trying to figure out what they would be up against. Yusuke was still sleeping, and that was a problem, "And now for this year's guests, team Urameshi!" and the six fighters stepped out from their entrance. The demons weren't a fan, especially with three humans with them, the demons were traitors, fighting with them and not killing them like any other stupid apparition. There were many protests.

"This is sure one heck of a greeting for special guests. I don't think these monsters took their grumpy pills today," Kuwabara commented, looking around at the crowd.

"Agreed Kuwabara, it most certainly isn't a pleasure being called traitor by creature's you've never known," said Kurama. They walked into the ring, San staying on the side, knowing that she was only needed if one of the died. They stared with hate at each other, the opposing team clearly wanting blood.

"As always, the terms of the fighting for each match can be determined by the leaders of the two teams. Of course if the leaders can't agree then we'll default to one on one fights, determining the wining team by each individual win, make sense?" said Koto. San could tell by Kuwabara's attitude that he was the leader while Yusuke was asleep. He walked up to Zeru, assuming they were agreeing on how this match would take place. The tension was retarded. They talked for maybe a couple of minutes and then, "Sounds like an agreement, we're looking at one on one!"

The team turned and walked back to the sidelines. San wondered why they brought Yusuke in the first place, she knew that he wouldn't wake up anytime soon. Only her and Genkai knew what he had been through, and San's training wasn't much easier either. But, she supposed she could handle it better. She watched Zeru, who was starting to charge his spirit energy. It was powerful, but she knew that the team could handle it. The team stopped just before they got off the ring and turned to stare at him.

"Oh, check this everybody, Zeru is emitting flames from all over his body, don't you just love it?" announced Koto. San could tell she wasn't going to like this demon fox girl, especially if she said or tried anything funny when Youko appeared.

"His spirit energy just shot through the roof," San heard Kuwabara, "gee, I hope he's not mad cause of what I said."

"Hiei, we had better be careful with this one," Kurama told the short fire demon.

"Hey, Urameshi, you've gotta wake up! Come on!" it was useless, why did he even bother trying? But that train of thought left when Zeru shot his flames at the team. San was ready, but the flames circled them and then shot through to the audience, narrowly missing her. She growled at him, though he didn't hear she was sure. A big chunk of the audience was wiped out, burned to death and the stench just reminded her of Makai, "Come on Urameshi, we've got problems here!" but Yusuke continued to sleep, "Oh shoot, it's no use," Kuwabara finally gave up.

"Ah, well people the flames are out. I notice people are a little quiet after that outburst, but remember, that's half the fun," said Koto. She held her hand up, "Now send out your fighters teams."

Rinku walked up, looking too confident for San's liking. She heard Kuwabara grumble something and then step forward.

"You can take him out Kuwabara, I have to go hiking," said Yusuke in his sleep. San laughed, wondering how asleep he really was.

"How can you laugh at such a serious moment?" Hiei asked her.

"Because I don't do serious," she answered.

"Hn."

Kuwabara walked up, way too cocky himself. It was never a good idea to underestimate an apparition, especially one that made it to a tournament such as this one. The audience clearly wasn't happy about Kuwabara, but that was to be expected. They walked up to where Koto was and stopped, sizing up the other.

"No limits have been set besides one on one. You're free to use any weapons or any techniques you want. First person to stay down or out of the ring is the loser. Now begin!" said Koto. The two fighters stood there for a moment. Rinku began to smile and then jumped swiftly up into the air. San heard him laughing. He was jumping around Kuwabara, clearly tring to confuse him.

"What is this? Recess?" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"Can you catch me?" Rinku played around, attempting to kick him but Kuwabara narrowly dodged. There was a blood trickle on his forehead. Rinku landed in front of him, and when Kuwabara looked down, he was kicked hard right underneath the chin. "Surprise!" Rinku jumped around some more, making it look like he had been cloned several times. He laughed while he basically danced around Kuwabara.

"Such great agility, his movements will be difficult to follow," Kurama stated. San was sure he already knew how he was going to beat Rinku if he were the one to fight instead. Rinku continued to jump around, and his laugh was starting to really annoy her.

"Bet you wanna give up now, don't you?" Rinku taunted.

"I might be worried, but there's just one thing. You're leaving a trail!" declared Kuwabara, smashing him with his fist on the top of Rinku's head. The apparition flew across the ring, stopping on the other side.

"Nice one lame-o," Yusuke muttered in his sleep. San smirked. The crowd was surprised at that one. Rinku looked like he had difficulty getting up.

"You're beaten, I can sense your spirit now," said Kuwabara, gloating. A little premature. Rinku took off at lightning speed again, but San was surprised when Kuwabara was there to head him off, kicking him in the head, sending him across the ring once again. Kurama and Hiei were no doubt good teachers. The crowd was not happy.

"Our lessons have helped him more than we thought Hiei. It seems that Kuwabara is the type of fighter whose true skills can only be measured in the ring," Kurama commented. Rinku tried to get up but fell down again.

"Maybe so. But he still doesn't understand these fights. He should drop his honour and strike the boy while he's down," responded Hiei. Kuwabara and Rinku ran at each other again, Kuwabara nailing him with a powerful punch to the gut.

"This could be Kuwabara's best chance to finish him!" declared Kurama. Kuwabara could sense that, and yelled something, but San was too focused to decipher it. He was running at the apparition while he was sailing towards the end of the ring. He was about to throw another of those powerful punches when Rinku darted to the side, appearing behind him and struck a kick to the side of Kuwabara's head. It looked like his neck had broken as he fell to the ground. Everything was silent, aside from Kuwabara's groaning, and then the crowd went nuts.

"1, 2, 3..." Koto started her count.

"How was that Zeru? I thought it'd more fun if he thought he was winning for a while, the fans loved it," Rinku smiled widely at the team leader.

"Should've known. Kuwabara only seemed better because the boy was leaving a trail," Hiei spoke to himself.

"6, 7, 8..." and Kuwabara pushed himself up, declaring his neck was fine, "I love it! Just when we thought it was done the two are facing off again!"

"They both greatly underestimate each other. I believe the first to realize this will win," well no shit Kurama, those were her thoughts from the beginning.

"Well, at any rate it's an entertaining fight," said Hiei.

"It could be better, but I'm pretty sure Rinku's going to pull out something special," San contributed to the conversation.

"The tournaments first fight is locked in a stare down, who will throw the first punch?" all demons were the same. Koto was no different. Kuwabara and Rinku said some words to each other, and then just as San suspected, Rinku pulled out yo-yo's and began to charging his spirit energy.

"It appears you were right San," Kurama noted to her. She smiled, still keeping her attention on Rinku. He had yo-yo's between each of his fingers, his energy level climbing. San didn't think he was that powerful.

"The Serpent Yo-yo Attack!" announced Rinku, emitting energy all around him.

"The serpent yo-yo?" questioned Kurama.

"What did you expect from such a young apparition," San stated.

"His spirit power is increasing..." Hiei trailed, mostly to himself. Kuwabara announced his new technique and then pulled out what San was sure he was dying to unleash, the double spirit sword. She had to admit, it was impressive. Rinku leaped into the air, throwing his power into his weapon. They bypassed Kuwabara's swords and attacked him in multiple places. Neat.

"Yes of course! The strings, they're alive!"

"Kurama, I think you spend too much time with stupid people," said San, smiling at him.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who saw that people! The yo-yo's somehow snaked them selves around to avoid Kuwabara's sword!" was everyone only good for pointing out the obvious? Then again, all the apparitions were very lower class, she supposed not many of them could see it as she could. Patience.

"Yeah, of course they did. You don't think I'd just throw around ordinary toys do you?" said Rinku, commenting on the statements being made, "When I throw the yo-yo's my spirit power goes into them, kind of like they're apart of me. And they bite to. You trying to cut them down with that sword is like grabbing snakes bare handed. I know a fun new game, I'll throw my yo-yo's and you try to stay alive!" and Rinku laughed as he unleashed his next attack. Kuwabara's defense made her think less of him. Chopping up the stage to avoid it? And then knowing it doesn't work but continuing to do so? Wow. The yo-yo's wrapped themselves around the idiot, so now he was basically a puppet. He was thrown to the ground, and then lifted high into the sky.

"Well people I'll let you use you're own imaginations for what happens if that poor human's frail body falls from the top of the stadium and crashes all the way down to the arena. Isn't this tournament to die for?" The suspense was clearly just for show, San knew that Rinku enjoyed attention, being a child and all. So after moments of staring at this blue dot in the sky, Rinku finally forced him to come down, and he was falling fast. She heard Kurama gasp, but San was already formulating a way she could possibly help the fool without being detected. The fall wasn't fatal, but he was being whipped around the stage helplessly, the apparitions in the stands cheering it on, hoping for a fatality, "What a glorious fight! The opponent is helpless, its hard to counter attack when you can't even move, I love it!"

"You see I told you Kuwabara's training wasn't enough. We'd best assume him dead and plan for the next fight," Hiei told Kurama. Cause having an alternate fighter, like San, wasn't plan enough.

"No, there are still some techniques he hasn't tried. Besides, if he is to perish, we still have San to fight in his place," Kurama answered.

"Thanks for noticing me," she smiled at him. Kuwabara was once again raised higher than the top of the stadium. He was climbing higher, past the point of survival now, even with his special abilities. San heard Keiko yelling in the background, but she wasn't surprised at that, knowing she would turn up after the vision of Youko. She was trying in vain to wake up Yusuke.

"Hang tight Kuwabara, I don't suppose you can fly can you?" Botan shouted up to Kuwabara.

"Oh, hey Botan, oh and sis, didn't expect to see you here. I'd give you a better greeting but I'm kind of busy right now!" said Kuwabara. So that was the girl San didn't recognize. Seeing the supernatural must run in the family.

"Rinku seems to be hesitating, why don't you ask the fans what they want!" shouted Koto. They started to cheer for death, which was no surprise to San. Rinku obliged, un-stringing him from the yo-yo's, letting him fall, fast, to his death. San was preparing yet again for an incognito save, but Kuwabara surprised her. He pulled the spirit sword out and extended it, using it to stop his fall and then cattapolt him towards Rinku. The apparition moved, sending his weapon out. San was waiting to see what he would do, and then surprised her again by making his spirit sword bend and head for Rinku. Both weapons made contact at the same time, sending them both outside the ring.

"Right well both the fighters have extraordinarily knocked out of the ring at the same time. By the rules your only allowed to stay out of the ring for 10 seconds, so I'm going to start counting," said Koto, finally cluing in to what was happening.

"Was that the focus of your training?" Hiei questioned Kurama.

"More or less. The main focus of our training was to teach him precise control of his spirit sword," Kurama answered.

"I'd be surprised if either of them got back on their feet in time."

"It's true. Both the yo-yo and the sword made solid hits. I guess we'll know soon enough."

"Get up! You're late! Kuwabara..." Yusuke yelled in his sleep. San sighed, waiting for one of the fighters to hurry up already. Rinku inched his way back onto the ring after five counts.

"Get up there Kuwabara, I'm serious, I know you're used to losing but not now," said Yusuke, still sleeping.

"What did you say?" Kuwabara shot up instantly after hearing him. It was amazing how that worked. He ran towards Yusuke, yelling at him while Koto continued to count. Rinku used his yo-yo's to keep Kuwabara out of the ring and then Koto announced the fatal ten. The match was over, Rinku being the winner.

"That was fairly innocent. It's rare to see both fighters still standing," said Kurama.

"Hn. I assure you that it won't happen with me," said Hiei. The next fighter stepped onto the ring. Kurama said he'd handle this one and then walked up to start the next match. They did the traditional stare contest, San knowing that Kurama was sizing him up.

"Kurama, considering the stakes we can't afford to take any chances," Hiei reminded him.

"Naturally," was Kurama's response.

"Don't break a leg!" San yelled at him encouragingly. She was serious though, she hated mending bones, it was her least favourite thing to do. Yusuke was mumbling in his sleep. San could smell Botan getting closer, while Kuwabara grunted in pain.

"We will handle the rest of the team, you take it easy," said Hiei to Kuwabara.

"Hey, I'm not out of this yet. If Yusuke doesn't wake up, I'll take the last guy," replied Kuwabara.

"We'll pray that doesn't happen."

"Alright boys, I'm here, now let's whip this team into shape!" Botan announced herself. She informed them of her job as a trainer, granting her access to the floor. She walked to Yusuke, ignoring Kuwabara and slapped him in an attempt to get up.

"That won't work, the boy is determined."

"Well, I'll at least get him out of the way," said Botan, dragging him by his feet to the stands. San turned her attention back to Kurama.

"Y'know, that rose whip he's got has be 10 feet long, where does he stash it? All the ways I can think of sound kind of painful," asked Kuwabara.

"Idiot. Animal apparitions can manipulate plants. Rose whips obviously come from roses, and he keeps one in his hair. My mate used to do the same thing," San answered him.

"Even weeds can turn into a deadly weapon for Kurama," Hiei added.

"Second fight, Roto vs. Kurama. Begin!" announced Koto.

Roto was talking to Kurama, something about spending years in the world of the living. It started to sound like he was attempting to threaten him. San growled, still not understanding why she was so protective of him. She watched as Roto changed his hand into a scythe and ran at Kurama. But he was too fast for that, and simply dodged him. This Roto was an idiot.

"He's clearly no match for Kurama. What a joke of a round. It's a shame you couldn't fight him and let Kurama fight the child and his yo-yo's," said Hiei, insulting Kuwabara as an after thought.

"Hey you watch it shrimpy, I just got cheated is all!" was Kuwabara's defense. Kurama was about to strike when he hesitated. Something happened, and Kurama's cheek was scratched. Roto was holding something in his hand and then San understood. Kurama wouldn't do anythign to endanger his mother, so that left Roto free to win. While feeding Kurama the punches, San caught Kurama slipping a death plant seed into Roto, distracting him with a pebble. How Youko of him. Where was that bastard? She wanted to see him already. Roto would have temporary control, but San could feel him pouring his energy discreetly into the plant. She knew of the death plant, having used it many times herself.

"What's wrong Kurama, let him have it!" yelled Kuwabara. His eyes obviously weren't that good.

"Quiet," said Hiei. Roto was gloating about this now, throwing it in Kurama's face. San was ready to jump in and bite his ugly head off. She enjoyed severing heads as a wolf demon. Roto continued to beat him, making San more angry. He pulled out his scythe and cut Kurama on the cheek, "Patience," Hiei told her. She realized she was white knuckling. Roto lifted up his boot, implying he wanted Kurama to lick it. Kurama refused, finally fighting back, which meant his attack was ready. Kurama taunted Roto to push the button, and then he couldn't move. Kurama knocked it out of his hand.

"Wait Kurama! You don't have to do this, I never actually would have pushed the button, I'm just a lower class demon, I don't know any better. Come on, you believe in mercy don't you?" Roto pleaded.

"No," said Kurama, sending out his energy and the plant killing Roto. The flowers were always beautiful, "What irony. Such beauty sprung from such an ugly soil.

"What a fool. So intent on proving himself he didn't notice your moves. Don't worry about his demon friend, he vanished the moment Roto died," said Hiei as Kurama came back to the sideline.

"And you knew?" asked Kurama. But San was staring at him. How could he possibly have taken such control of the death plant?

"It wasn't much of a demon in the first place," said San.

"It's sad that I have two telepaths for close friends," Kurama smirked. Botan and Kuwabara were asking why they were being so secretive. The three demons just laughed and then turned their backs, waiting for the next round.


	10. Disturbing Demons

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" bellowed Hiei, unleashing an attack that neither she nor Kurama could believe that he was resorting to. Zeru was the next opponent, and Hiei stepped up to fight him. That came as no surprise to San, it was the fact that he was using such an unstable technique. She was sure that he could have beat Zeru without the Darkness Flame, yet he insisted upon himself to use it. It was a stupid move, powerful but stupid. There was no way he could control the dragon, he would have to sacrifice something in order to lure it from the pits of Reikai. She assumed it was his right arm, with the way his energy was flowing into it. Hiei was a dangerous character, and she was happy that he was on their side for this one. The dragon was coming, she could feel its energy coming for Zeru. He was scared, as he should be, there was no hope of avoiding such an attack, or a monster. The dragon opened its mouth, devouring Zeru, or she, San assumed, it was hard to see anything. When the smoke cleared, all that remained was an ash silhouette of Zeru. He was no more.

"Well he's definitely out of the ring..." said Koto, returning to the ring. She was smart to vacate her post when it came down to Darkness technique.

"Believe me, he's not coming back. That cinder's all that's left of him," Hiei told her, observing his arm.

"Yes and I suppose counting to ten would be meticulous. Let's give it up for Hiei!" but the crowd was in too much shock to make a sound. Hiei returned to the sidelines, his arm covered in a burn.

"Yeah, we're punchin' our way to the top! Hiei can beat anyone with that move! Hiei can beat anyone with that move, am I listening to myself? What if he decides to be a bad guy again?" Kuwabara thought out loud.

"Don't worry fool. We've entered into an alliance and I'm not the type to break it. Of course after the tournament it's free game," Hiei replied. The opposing team's fighters that were left were so afraid that they took off, leaving Rinku by himself. Idiots. San could feel a familiar energy coming from where they ran, and then their energy was no more. She tried, but couldn't remember who this was coming towards them, but then he stepped out of the shadows. He dropped the dead bodies of his teammates on the ground. She gasped.

"Chu..." she trailed.

"You know this demon?" questioned Kurama.

"Yes, I met him during my time in Makai."

"Is he the one your searching for?"

"Hell no! I ran into some stupid apparitions while I was shopping for food at a market during my travels with my mate. Chu helped me out, even though I didn't need it. It was the intention behind it that made us friends, he saw the mark of my mate and decided to defend my honor."

"Your mate has marked you?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't show up in my human nor my wolf form. Once I'm powerful enough to revert back to my demon form, the mark should stay whether I'm wolf or human. By then I should be reunited with him and then it won't even matter anyway, but his power would allow it to show."

"Is there any sign of him?"

"No, but I'm not surprised, I didn't think I'd get to see him so early in the tournament."

"Hn. He's a lot closer than you think," said Hiei.

"Do you know where he is?" San asked hopefully. But Hiei ignored her, and she assumed he did but wasn't going to tell her. She sighed, it was her quest, and she was sure that she had to do it by herself. They turned their attention back to Chu, as he threw away a liquor bottle and fell on his first attempt to enter the ring.

"Hey announcer sheila, you look pretty hot, could you come here a minute? I got a question for you!" and Koto ran towards him afraid. He questioned the alternate fighter rule and then proceeded into the middle.

"His spirit power is less than Zeru's but for some reason I get a creepy feeling. Watch out you guys," said Kuwabara.

"What could you be worried about, he's the alternate fighter and secondly he's a drunk," said Botan.

"I don't know..."

"The fool is right. Something is foul. Even when he killed his teammates I couldn't feel his strength. Besides, we have San as our alternate fighter and given the proper motivation she could wipe all of us out without breaking a sweat," said Hiei.

"Awe Hiei, and here I thought you didn't care about me!" San smiled at him. He rolled his eyes.

"I could just as easily take it back."

"But you won't because you know you love me and you know that lying is wrong."

"Hn."

"Let's go you sods, I wanna get a good brawl in before my fun wears off. In that case they'd better all fight me at once!" Chu yelled at them.

"So who's going take him? It hasn't been very long since all three of us fought our matches... Guess we should draw straws or something?" said Kuwabara.

"Urameshi team, present your fighter!" said Koto, running towards them.

"Well we still have that masked fighter guy, come on man it's your turn!" But Genkai just stood there, ignoring him.

"If you don't give me someone I'll have to disqualify."

"No, no, hold on a second. I guess I'll have to fight him unless of course I can get Urameshi to wake up!" But when they looked where Yusuke was once asleep, he had vanished, "That's weird, where did he go?" Yusuke had jumped on stage, clearly refreshed after his incredibly long rest. San smiled, how perfect that Yusuke fight Chu. He was a good demon, so she was hoping there would be no casualties with this one.

"Waking up from the smell of alcohol, can't help but feel a touch of home," he said, rubbing his eyes a bit, "Hey all you stupid demons, I been trying to sleep through all your clever trash talk long enough and I'm ready to kick some asses!"

"Are you certain your ready to fight? You've been sleeping for almost a day now," said Botan.

"Give me a break, that's why I'm taking this jerk, I always get some light exercise in the morning," Yusuke replied before walking up to Chu. He was half the height. It didn't take long for the "Kill Yusuke" chant to start among the other apparitions. Chu used his demon speed to snatch the microphone from Koto.

"Sorry sheila, got to borrow. Uh, okay, I just want to set the record straight before we get this thing going. Right basically, it's that I'm a really ace person and the only thing I suck at is paper, rock scissors!" Chu declared. San laughed, she laughed so hard she nearly fell down. The whole stadium seemed to be confused about what Chu had said.

"Uh, let me try to translate for the drunkard here. Earlier the Rokuyukai team decided on their master through paper, rock, scissors. Chu lost pathetically and became the alternate but he wants you to forget about that because he is number one!" Chu cheered, "No need to thank me, that's why I'm here," said Koto, bowing. The crowd stared in awe as Yusuke was taunting Chu. He suddenly ran at an apparition, making his point far from proven as his position as an alternate fighter. He stole booze from an audience member, emptying the contents in one gulp. Chu explained the nature of his fighting, and San thought it would be wise of Yusuke not to take this so lightly.

"Listen to this guy, he's insane," Botan commented. No Botan, he was very unique, and they would soon see it. Chu began to stumble around, indicating that he was ready for power.

"Watch his movements," said Kurama.

"I know, he's beginning," said Hiei.

"This is going to be interesting," stated San. Chu's energy was growing, this is what San was waiting for.

"At last, he shows himself. I've never sensed spirit energy of this kind," said Kurama.

"That guys fast," commented Kuwabara.

"Notice how his body flows," said Kurama.

"Yes and his speed only adds to the problem. Good luck trying to hit him," said Hiei. Chu was dancing circles around Yusuke, trying to confuse him. He was incredibly fast, even San had trouble following him. He finally was finally about to strike. San counted four, but she suspected it was more than that. Koto got the replay started, San realizing she only missed one. Chu taunted Yusuke a bit, as the detective got to his feet. Yusuke threw punches, but all of them missed, and Chu ended up behind the human, landing hard hitting blows to Yusuke. He shot up again and began to attack.

"Try using your feet! Or your elbows or something!" yelled Kuwabara.

"Kuwabara! Do me a favour and shut the hell up!" exclaimed Yusuke, punching Chu in the cheek and knocking him down. Chu was up instantly and kicked Yusuke hard, burying him in rubble from the stadium wall. The demon belched and then stumbled over. He motioned for Koto to help him.

"Right, I still need another one!" Chu screamed into the microphone. Koto went on to translate and explain how alcohol is the main source for his style of fighting. San watched him, knowing that he was just playing, and that Yusuke was working on something to beat his opponent. Koto began the count and Chu taunted more. Yusuke burst out of the rubble and onto the ring. He was rubbing his shoulder.

"Yeah, the old block with the shoulder trick! What a champ right?" said Kuwabara, putting an arm around Kurama in excitement. But he wasn't interested. He instead turned to San, something on his mind.

"San, you said you have encountered this demon Chu before right?" he asked her. She nodded, while Yusuke showed Chu his spirit gun, "What can we expect from him?"

"Be still," she said, waiting for Chu to reveal his move. He began drinking what San could smell was the strongest alcohol in all of Makai, and he devoured the whole flask. His energy shot up, this feeling being so different than other youki. He stopped abruptly and ran to the side of the ring and puked. San sighed, waiting for the drink to take affect, "Chu is no regular apparition. He harnesses the power of alcohol to increase his power. He's a master of the drunken martial arts, very powerful. Even if he pukes, he's still gaining strength. It's basically a catalyst," San explained, as Chu began to power up again.

"Hey, that ball he's holding looks just like Uramehi's spirit gun!" declared Kuwabara.

"And approximately equal in force," said Kurama.

"What? Don't you think we should tell Yusuke that!" said Botan, truly astonished at Chu. It was as it should be, San had barely seen Chu fight, but just from that one meeting, she knew to be weary of him. The fighters started to run, ready for battle.

"Yusuke already knows," Kurama responded. Chu shot his ball of energy, and Yusuke fired his spirit gun. It ended in a draw, just as San expected. They began wailing punches at each other at lightning speed.

"They're not even bothering to block the head shots," said Kuwabara.

"This is pure offense, they gave up fighting with their brain's a long time ago. Now its simply a matter of who can endure the most pain," said Hiei. The fist fight ended when Chu landed a good blow, knocking Yusuke far back. Chu created another one of his energy balls, bigger than the last.

"It's amazing how much control he has over the size," Hiei commented.

"It is, and by the sheer volume Yusuke won't be able to block it with the spirit gun," said Kurama.

"Don't sound too worried or anything," said Botan. Chu fired his blast. This was one of those blasted moments of truth.

"He's off balance, he can't defend!"

Chu was smug, thinking he had won, but Yusuke took them by surprise. He fired a double spirit gun. No one was expecting that one.

"It's breaking through!" declared Botan.

"Careful Urameshi, his blast is still going!" shouted Kuwabara.

"Too late," stated Kurama, as both spirit energy weapons made a direct hit. As the smoke cleared there was no one left in the ring besides Koto. San knew better than to just assume that they had both died. They were here, some where, very much alive. Botan and Kuwabara were talking, but San didn't acknowledge him. They were in the air, both tired from dodging. They landed, speaking about how they had lost all their energy, they were both dry, and then they began to laugh.

"They're at the end of their line, I don't know how it will end," said Kurama.

"Is it a tie?" asked Kuwabara.

"No, this battle determines everything. Men are mostly the same in every world, incredibly stubborn. They won't give up until the last man stands, and only because they have too much pride to just call it a draw. What an amazing thing," explained San. Chu suggested something she didn't think she'd see ever again in her life.

"Knife edge death match," said Chu, pulling out two knives.

"I've seen this before," said San. The group looked at her curiously, but she refused to offer any other explanation. Chu would explain, they could listen to him. They watched as Chu put the knives parallel to each other into the ring. He then took off his shoes and placed a food in front of the knife. Yusuke followed suit. They had to wait for the committee to approve of this, but San was sure they would let him. It made her memories flash back to when her brother entered one of these, over that stupid bitch that he ended up mating with, the one that caused her to lose her throne in the first place.

"Hey, wait, does no weapons mean that Urameshi can't use his spirit gun?" asked Kuwabara.

"It wouldn't matter, he doesn't have any spirit energy left," answered Botan.

"Oh, yeah that sucks."

"Take solace. Chu has also exhausted all of his spirit power," Kurama told him.

"Now that the fight has been reduced to hand to hand it'll be the one with the strongest head who prevails," added Hiei. As if that wasn't obvious. The committee approved of this, but San knew that they would be trusting Chu would defeat Yusuke. It seemed that was all anyone wanted, for Yusuke to die. They began, just throwing punches at each other, nothing special. In fact, San found it quite boring. She saw Kurama finger the cut on his cheek.

"It looks dashing on you," San complimented, smiling at him.

"Thanks..." Kurama trailed, being caught off guard. She would've acted on that, but Keiko had appeared suddenly, asking Kuwabara to stop the fighting. He began to explain to the girl why they had to fight. San felt sorry for her. She cared so much about Yusuke, yet she didn't belong to this kind of world. It seemed that the match would end soon, and San could tell that Chu had landed a hard punch, and then they head butted each other. Now it was just a matter of time to see which one had the thicker skull. It did not surprise San that it turned out to be Yusuke. It was done, the first battle was over, and they would be advancing.

...

_She walks through the forest hunting for the treasure. She is separated from Youko at this time, but that suites her just fine, her mate being too protective at times. She smells her prize, it lies ahead of her. She uses one of her many plants to find the traps. She pursues on silent feet, and keeps her guard up. She opens the chest, finding what she looks for. She observes it, and wonders what would happen if she were to snatch it. But she stops in her tracks, becoming frigid. She feels someone behind her, someone dangerous. His energy is not weak, it seems to want to scare her, but she is too proud. She smirks, taking the treasure in her hands and turning to face her enemy._

_"My, my, what an exquisite creature..." he tells her, staring at her in lust._

_She growls, "Out of my way, I am mated and I'm leaving," she retaliates._

_"It does not matter to me if you are mated, I could still have you. I am Karasu, who might you be?"_

_"Wolves have no need of names. Now leave, before you get hurt."_

_He disappears, or so she thinks. She feels him behind her, hands nearly touching her. For the first time, fear strikes down to her heart, "You bear the mark of the legendary bandit. That means that you are a legend yourself, my Queen." She is still, unable to move. She is afraid, this feeling new to her, "I'm going to have lots of fun with you," he whispers, bringing his mouth close to her ear. She finally thinks of a way, but tries to urge her body to move. She snaps out of her state, the treasure clutched in her arms. She can't bring herself to say anything, but urges a plant that will aid in her escape. Its vines wrap around her attacker slowly. He is about to claim his prize, but then is struck immobile. She runs, as fast as she can away from this evil youki. She cries, never wishing to feel such feelings again, and never wishing to see this man again. She does not tell Youko, knowing that the demon would take pleasure in killing him and capturing her._

_She masks her feelings as she comes to her mate. He is with the pack, she being the last to return. He smiles, seeing she has what they desired. She stops in front of him, holding it out. He takes it, giving it to Yomi, and then she hugs him fiercely. He is stunned, but wraps his arms around her, sensing something was wrong. The feelings in his embrace makes everything okay, makes her safe once more. She does let any tears fall, knowing he would inquire as to why she did, but stays behind with him while the rest of the pack heads towards the temporary den. He kisses the top of her head, and whispers into her ear, "I was starting to worry about you beloved."_

_"There is no need to worry. We have what we came for," she replies, as she looks into his golden eyes._

_"May I ask where this sudden display of affection came from?"_

_"The young I'm sure. Females become different while carrying them. I must be no exception."_

_"Let's return to our den koishii."_

...

She could never forget a memory like that. Seeing Karasu standing there with Toguro did not sit well with her. He was even more powerful than the first time she had encountered him decades ago. She wasn't sure if he recognized her in the human form of San, but the way he stared at her told her that he did. She knew that he would come for her, he was going to bide his time, suspecting her mate was near. Youko was near, she just wasn't sure where. She didn't find a trace of him anywhere, and wondered which team he would have chosen. The Dark Tournament wasn't even really his style, so she didn't understand why he'd be fighting in the first place. It didn't matter, so long as she found him before Karasu did. In desperation, she decided it would be better to find Kurama. If she knew Kurama, she knew that he would be scoping out the enemy, trying to figure out a way to beat all of them single handedly. He was so predictable at times.

"I knew I'd find you here," she said, standing beside him.

"I was wondering what kept you," came his reply, never taking his eyes off the battle before him. It had just started, and ended just as quickly. San whistled, but then a minotaur demon came forth, wishing to fight.

"This idiots got no chance, he'll be lucky if he can even see the attacks."

"Agreed," and they were right. He didn't see the attacks, and was shredded limb from limb. They gasped as Toguro, just the one stepped from the shadows, ready to fight the next team by himself. San knew that he could do it, by not even using half of his power. He was no longer human, the human that Genkai once knew. San and Kurama watched intently.

"These warriors take advantage of their large bodies to channel great spirit energy," Kurama spoke mostly to himself. San nodded, watched Toguro power up. She gasped, feeling that fear in the pit of her stomach. Karasu was watching, and searching for her. She held onto Kurama's arm, and he assumed it was because of the awesome power of Toguro that she coward. He didn't blame her, Toguro had powers unlike any demon he had ever encountered, defeating him would be no simple task. San recovered, just as Toguro killed the last member of the other team.

"You heal fast," she noted, seeing the cut on his cheek already gone.

"I know of many herbs that help me, though they fail in comparison to the knowledge of your powers," he complimented her as they walked away from the stadium. They walked to the forest. She caught a whiff of a human, one she didn't recognize, but it was male, and it was dying, "Any luck with your mate?"

"No, but I smell a human, and it needs help."

"I trust you can handle the situation on your own?"

"Yeah, I'll call if I need help, I'm sure you'll be looking for Hiei."

"It seemed like a good plan of action," he nodded at her.

"There's something about the Dr.'s team that bothers me. He's a cheat that's for sure, but there are only two demons on his team, and they are nothing compared to the humans. It almost seems as if they don't have any free will. I'll leave that mystery to you, I've got to find this human, I don't know why, but there's just this compelling need to, and his scent isn't very strong."

"I cannot pick it up over the other stenches. I'm amazed that your nose works so well."

"I'm a wolf remember? We're made for hunting. Besides, you've spent way too much time as a human, that's why your nose is getting worse and worse," she smiled at him, changing into her wolf form and dashing off, hunting for the wounded human. He wasn't long for this world, and his scent wasn't that strong, but she was going to find him.


	11. Demon Speed

Kurama woke up the next day, their second match taking place later on. He couldn't feel San's energy, which meant that she had been out hunting all night for this dying human. At this rate she'd be lucky to find him alive, if she found him at all. He truly was amazed that she was able to sniff him out, all he could smell was rotting flesh everywhere, and humans when they were near. He was still curious about her mate, and it was a variable he didn't understand. He decided to try and look for her before the match, they would need her healing abilities. He stopped by her room, just to make sure she wasn't there before going on a wild goose chase. She wasn't, so he proceeded to the place where they parted ways. He kept in mind that she might still be in her wolf form, so it would be hard to track her. She also had no scent in that form, so it would be hard to find her in the first place, but he was sure he'd be able to track her. He left his post, heading in the direction he remembered her going. He began his hunt for her, looking intently for wolf tracks. He was having no such luck, but Hiei was in the area, so he turned towards the fire demon, maybe he had seen her. It didn't take long to find him, he was on his way to the arena, their next fight beginning soon. There he was, walking on the ground, nursing his right arm. He dropped to his knees, Kurama observing him from his perch on the tree above.

"Is this wise Hiei?" the red haired demon asked.

"What do you mean?" Hiei spat back at him.

"It won't easy to keep winning without the use of your dominant hand. Perhaps you should withdraw."

"Hn. You heard what Toguro said, we don't have a choice," and then they felt two demons approaching them, "If we don't make it through this tournament, he'll kill us all. Fighting is the only way out," the two demons stopped just as Hiei finished his sentence. They stared, Kurama recognizing them from the fight yesterday. They were supposed to be fighting them today, but it seemed the master had other plans instead.

"Seems the Dr.'s team has gotten lost."

"Yes, and what a horrible coincidence for us both."

"I admit my original intention of finding you was to know if you had seen San anywhere, or if you could locate her."

"Figures. Now is not the time fox," replied Hiei, pulling out his sword. Kurama noted it was his left hand, as he to pulled out his rose whip. One of the demons started to run at them, hoping for an attack, but the they were ready. They took him down easily, his head and right arm dropping from the rest of his body.

"What the hell?" the other apparition questioned, not believing what he saw.

"Hn. And that was using my left arm Kurama," stated Hiei.

"I'm sorry I used my right. Next time I'll use my left to be fair," replied Kurama, as they both turned to the remaining youki.

"Would you like to try us next?" but the demon just started laughing at them.

"Thanks but I'd rather not. Death gives me the shivers," he answered, pulling out a button. He clicked it without effort and out came a mechanical beast looking thing. It stood beside the enemy, waiting for instructions it looked like, "Gatasvil is what we like to call him. One of the doctor's earlier projects. Part demon, mostly machine with no feelings, no pain, and no fear. Go Gatasvil! Destroy those two low lifes!"

Gatasvil started towards Hiei and Kurama. It sent arms out to attack them, but they dodged, trying to get away. The robotic arms followed them, in attempt to complete the attack. Kurama was too fast for it, though it was still chasing him. No matter where he went it seemed to follow. Hiei was more swift, but his sword didn't even leave a scratch on it. The foe explained the metal flowing through it, and how it couldn't be penetrated. Hiei lunged at the demon, but the robot had other plans. It narrowly missed Hiei while he dodged it, but he landed on his right arm, and then the robot struck. Kurama was still having trouble, but came up with a plan quickly to free his companion. He led the other arm into itself, freeing Hiei from the tree. Both arms crashed into Kurama, emitting smoke. His fate was unknown.

The demon began to laugh as Hiei stared in horror, "Excellent! Now kill the other one!" he commanded. Gatasvil just stood there, not moving.

"You were wrong on two accounts," came Kurama's voice. The smoke cleared and he was standing there, rose whip in hand. The beast was penetrated, "Even the hardest substance can be broken when crashed into itself, and the ability to feel pain is not a weakness, it's a strength. Pain tells a creature its vulnerabilities, and not to expose them to attack. Your robot is dead," explained Kurama, as Hiei walked up to the other demon. The enemy started to back off, fear taking its course in him, "And so, I'm afraid, are you."

...

Wherever this guy was hidden, it was kept well. On barely a scent, San had searched all night, hunting when she was hungry. She couldn't find this human, but she knew that she had to, there was no other choice. He was dying, she could feel him, his life energy fading away. There was no way to follow him on that, so she had to rely purely on the faint stink of him. The island was bigger than she had first thought, and she had to steer away from the coast, the smell of the salt water over powering the humans. There was something fishy about why he would be hidden here, and why he was left to die. If this was the work of a normal demon, the human would already be devoured, and that's what intrigued her to find him, the fact that he was barely left alive. She didn't blame other demons for not knowing his whereabouts, since it was hard for her to keep his scent in focus. It wasn't nearly as strong as yesterday, but it was still there, and that was something. There were many caves in this area, and she couldn't count how many she had been to. The only good thing about this, she hadn't hunted something to difficult in a long time, and she shuddered in pleasure just thinking about finding her prize. Her ears perked up as she heard a wail in the distance. She followed it, wondering if it could possibly be him. It was him, the one she had been hunting for. He was gravely injured, and very sick.

"Please..." he whimpered, as San walked up to him, "Please wolf, don't hurt me, find my students..." San reverted to her human form.

"Sorry, forgot I was still a wolf. I've been looking for you," she said, examining him.

"Who.. are you?"

"Name's San, and right about now, I'm your saviour."

"Forget about me, please, find my students, and save them."

"Trust me, they'll be happier with you alive, now be still," she instructed, pulling out some of her herbs and mixing up a concoction. She used her energy to heat it, and then applied it to the wounds. He grunted in pain, "I'm sorry, but you'll feel better soon, I promise."

"Thank you... Who sent you?"

"No one, I picked up your sent in the afternoon yesterday and I've been hunting you down ever since. Who did this to you?"

"The doctor. He gave me a sickness and then took three of my students away for some experiment."

"Experiment?" questioned San, "Drink this first, and then explain."

The sensei did as he was told. He made a face, but was smart enough to drink the rest under her gaze, "I don't know exactly what it is, but it turns them into mindless zombies and forces them to fight. They only agreed to this to try and save me, but the doctor had no intention of healing me, and once he had my students there was no need, they'd never know about it."

"That's barbaric, even for a demon!"

"I think I'm starting to feel better."

"No, the pain is starting to numb, but you will feel better soon. You'll still be very weak, but you'll live, and that's good enough for me."

"I can't thank you enough. You must be an angel."

San laughed out loud, "Demon actually, but we're not all so bad. I've been living amongst you humans and even in my own world I didn't mind humans. I mean, you're all fucked up and stupid, but entertaining nonetheless. Now let's get to the stadium, maybe you being there will be able help your students find their hearts again," she told him, grabbing him by the arm. She carefully lifted him up and headed towards the light at the end of the tunnel. How cliche. She caught a whiff of two demons she definitely didn't expect to see.

...

"Wait. Do you smell that?" asked Kurama, as they came towards the cave the sensei was hidden.

"Yes. It seems San was already one step ahead of us," replied Hiei.

"She left yesterday to track down a human, she knew that something wasn't right. She may have foresaw this in one of her visions."

"Hn. Visions, suspiciously like your mate am I right?"

"Please Hiei, Moriko is dead and San is still here. She can't be my mate, she's here searching for hers."

"Looks can be deceiving."

Kurama looked at Hiei in alarm. What was that supposed to mean? He must know something, why else would he say something like that? Kurama didn't have time to muse on it, San was walking out of the cave and towards them, the injured sensei with her. He was able to walk, but depended solely on San for balance. Kurama knew that she had already healed his wounds, or else she wouldn't have bothered to bring him with her. She stopped when she spotted them, giving them a relieved smile. They walked up to her, Kurama offering to help, but she knew better. She set him down gently.

"Can you hold on?" she questioned.

"I think I can manage that," he responded, his voice not as raspy as before. San took that to be a good sign.

"I found him in the cave, he told me why he was there-"

"We know. One of the doctor's demons was kind enough to tell us before we killed him," said Hiei.

"Okay. Listen, I'm going to change back into a wolf, you'll need to hold on, because the three of us are going to run at very high speeds," she explained he nodded. She changed into her wolf form, and Kurama helped the man onto her back.

"We'll need to stop somewhere first, and then we'll head to the stadium. Stay behind the mechanical beast until we're ready for you," Kurama instructed. San nodded, and then they took off.

...

"She's gorgeous..." said Botan dreamily, seeing the masked fighter for the first time. Her mask was knocked away after she faced off with the human warriors, trying to save Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Well people, I'm shocked, this fight couldn't get any weirder!" announced Koto. She was wrong, one of the missing fighters from the doctor's team had flown into the stadium, across the ring and into the wall of the seats. Not too long after the robot came crashing down as well, San keeping the now passed out sensei behind him, away from the demons. Hiei and Kurama dropped down and landed on the robot, Gatasvil, and San joined them on his head seconds after. She observed the fight, seeing the students that the sensei was talking about. She felt sorry for them, crying out for help and not being able to find it. She also saw Genkai's mask was torn open, and she had reverted to her younger self. That was no surprise, but she didn't understand why Yusuke and Kuwabara were so beat up. She knew Kuwabara had his pride, but really? The crowd was in shock and Koto began talking, "The missing members of the Urameshi team have appeared as well. Hiei and Kurama, can you tell us where you've been?" what was she? Chopped liver? Idiot. But she remembered that she was still in her wolf form, and only her teammates knew of her shape changing ability.

"Sorry, a thirty foot killing machine wanted a word with us," said Hiei.

"M5 told us everything. I'm relieved your three are still alive. Those veruki on the humans fighters backs are the source of Dr. Ichigaki's mind control. And in their present state I'm afraid it would be fatal to remove them. The three are completely innocent, they didn't know the implants would control them. They were told it was blood research," explained Kurama.

"I told you guys! That no good liar!" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"And that's not the extent of it I'm afraid," continued Kurama, "Seems the doctor caused their masters illness in the first place!" San narrowed her eyes at the laughing doctor. She growled, it being more effective as a wolf than as a human.

-I want to rip his head off!- she declared in the minds of Hiei and Kurama.

-Patience- Kurama told her, Hiei being unresponsive. The doctor continued to laugh.

"Your unscientific minds are so trivial. Fully blind to the larger picture! So maybe I did infect Metamura, maybe I lied to get their bodies and maybe I enjoyed it. Who cares? Behind every lab discovery are a few poison rats!" the doctor explained. San growled more, resisting the urge to decapitate him. She had to wait for the others first, before she made her move.

"Shut it Ichigaki, you're full of crap and you know it! You don't care abut this science stuff, you're just trying to win the tournament!" Kuwabara yelled at the youki.

-Let me rip that ugly head off its hinges. I want to feel his death between my jaws!-

-Please San, wait- Kurama urged her.

-Listen to the fox, he might actually save your life- Hiei threw in. The doctor taunted Yusuke and Kuwabara, getting the desired effect on them. They were angry, and Genkai tried to warn them, but they didn't care, they ran at him. The students stood in their way, having no choice but to defend the asshole. San growled more, her patience wearing thin. Yusuke and Kuwabara were thrown back into the ring.

"Now!" said Hiei, and the three demons ran towards the arena. Koto stood in their way.

"I'm sorry guys but they've already agreed for a three on three fight. Step in the ring now and your whole team forfeits," she explained, stopping them dead in their tracks.

"You're a heartless mess, you know that?" said Botan, angry at everything she had heard. The doctor's laughed.

"Please, don't blame her, I'm the one that got your apeish friends to accept those terms," he said from his post.

"Naturally," growled Kurama. San looked at him, having never seen this side of him before. He was truly pissed off, and she didn't think she particularly cared for that. The doctor's laugh was really starting to pierce her ears, making her angry. She had no choice to but to stand there, as Yusuke and Kuwabara were facing off the other three humans. They were calling out, trying to get a message to them. The twisted demon explained how his control worked, why they continued to fight. How good it would feel to rip his ugly head off. Once this fight was over, she was going to do so, confident in her abilities. The opposing team started to run at Yusuke and Kuwabara. Yusuke ran, but Kuwabara stood his ground. San knew what he was up to, but thought it was foolish. He took their attacks. He went on about responsibility as a man.

"What is he talking about?" asked Hiei.

"This is not wise!"

Kuwabara continued to talk, but San was more focused on their attacks. Yusuke stood with Genkai, wanting to help the idiot, but Kuwabara told him to stay back. He tried to talk sense into them, but their blows were too much, and they simply wouldn't listen. They started to charge for a triple attack, and San was amazed that he stood there. He was lucky to survive, but he would be weak for the rest of the match, unable to fight. San turned her attention back to ring, trying to figure out how to by pass these innocents and rip the doctor limb from limb. Yusuke was pissed, that much was clear. The team started crying, tears of blood, begging that Yusuke kill them. Genkai announced that the team had missed Kuwabara's vitals, their true selves being awake, but not in control. San tried to penetrate their mind but whimpered at the force keeping her out.

"San!" said Kurama going to her aid as she was basically struck down, "Are you alright?"

-Just thought I could reach into their minds to help-

"Please, be patient, you will get your chance," Kurama assured her as she got back on her paws. They turned their attention back to the ring, feeling Yusuke charging up. He seemed to do that when he was mad, but he needed to learn control of that. It was no good going into battle full of rage. Yusuke was taking them on by himself, finally being able to sense the energy attack, or so San assumed. She got up and walked with Hiei and Kurama towards the doctor, who was calculating the odds of him winning this match. His chances must have been high before, because he was terribly upset when it read 52%.

"Percentages are for poker fool," said Hiei, Kurama and San at his side.

"You can factor strengths and stamina doctor, I'll give you that. But determining true heart of a person is quite a different game," Kurama threw in.

He growled, "Buzz off! I'm must have punched the wrong number. Destroy them!" he declared. Yusuke was powering up for his spirit gun, and it would kill anything it hit with the power he was emitting. San didn't know he could reach a strength like this, it never came up during his training, but it seemed when his emotions ran away with him, he became more powerful.

"It'd be better if I could kill you Ichigaki!" Yusuke yelled at him, still powering his spirit gun. That, was reserved for San. He was just about to fire when Genkai stopped him. They fell to the ground and Genkai pulled a stance San did not expect to see. Genkai was going to heal them, using a variation of her spirit wave. San would smile if she could, but didn't given her current state. The doctor started to laugh again, knowing that they couldn't kill the humans. San growled, knowing that he wasn't going to win, he was going to die by her fangs. Genkai started the chant for the spirit wave. San had never seen her use her signature move before, and was happy she was here to witness such a thing. The fighters got ready to attack her, but San knew that Genkai was too good for that. Genkai finished her attack, the fighters falling to the ground, the contraptions on their backs destroyed.

"There's nothing left of them," stated Hiei.

"Yes, an immense attack," said Kurama. The doctor was not smiling anymore. He couldn't believe what had just happened. This probably didn't show up in his calculations. She snarled, getting ready for the kill. Koto began her count, but San knew that they wouldn't get up again. She landed on ten and then declared the Urameshi team the winner. Yusuke walked up the doctor, but he had nowhere to run.

"Don't embarrass yourself," Hiei told him.

"Acknowledge your cruelty and your punishment will be swift," Kurama added. San was standing beside him, bearing her fangs to the youki. It seemed he was afraid of her most of all, and she was going to enjoy killing him.

"Hold on, what if I told you that the master Metamura was still alive. But I am the only person in the world that knows where he's hidden and how to revert his disease!" the doctor pleaded.

"Sorry, lude point," said Kurama, pointing to the senei that had awakened and was using the stadium wall to walk to where they were. The doctor gasped.

"You... evil man," said the master. The doctor took a step back, not expecting to see him alive and moving.

"What? But how did he get here?"

"Your assistant was in the mood to talk. His memory improved after we beat him. We only had to walk two miles to find him, and our wolf friend here had already cured him. She's been dying to sink her fangs into your flesh since she got here, why should we deny her the pleasure?" explained Hiei. The doctor continued to step back, San was ready to lunge at him.

"I acquired a few poisonous herbs as well on this island. I intended to let you try them, but I'm afraid San would be angry with me if I did not let her get a taste of you first," said Kurama. Yusuke laughed, and then the doctor pulled out a syringe, getting ready to inject himself with this mysterious fluid. He laughed, thinking that he was going to win.

"Your pathetic little minds. Do you really think I would experiment with body manipulation and not save a little for myself?" he said, injecting the fluid into his hand. They watched as he turned into a giant demon. But that didn't scare San. He laughed, getting ready to attack Yusuke, but San would have none of that. She jumped, looking like she disappeared from her spot as the doctor stretched his arm at Yusuke and then the two demons. He was walking towards where the three of them had dodged, still attacking them. San appeared, still a wolf beside Yusuke, who's arm was nicked. Yusuke stood, asking Hiei to leave the demon to him, but San reverted to her human form.

"Don't bother, he's already dead," she told him. And they watched as the doctor's neck started to bleed and then break in half, falling to the ground. Yusuke grunted and kicked it clean out of the stadium. The crowd was impressed, Koto explaining what happened. The doctor was dead, and San was happy that it was by her fangs. Kurama helped Metamura, seeing as he was still too weak to support himself. He would get better though, and San was proud that she did something more for the team than sit around hoping that she wouldn't have to fight. She got her fix for blood lust, and now she could focus on helping her friends and finding her mate.

...

just want to give a big thanks for all those reading and the motivational reviewers! thanks for the patience of each chapter where i assume your hoping that kurama and san find each other, well,l realize that they found each other anyway. keep letting me know how i'm doing and i'll keep posting them cheers! :D

p.s, i didn't really look for the actual spelling for the contraptions on the backs of the opposing team, nor their master, so i apologize if i mispelled anything.


	12. Roses and Blood are Red

Bullshit! Pure fucking bullshit! After all of that, San was angry again and boy would she love to rip the heads off each one of those fucking pricks on the committee! Team Urameshi was to fight again, with not even a half hour to rest. It was so obvious they were wanted her team dead, but fuck! Why be so obvious about it? She'd take them all on if it meant that this insanity would stop. Kuwabara would be lucky if he could walk again before the end of the day, Genkai drained most of her power using the spirit wave and Hiei's arm wasn't ready yet. Even with her amazing powers of healing, he was still having trouble using it. To make matters worse, they were pit up against the shinobi, no low class demons for sure. Everyone in Makai knew of their exploits, but they had never been seen and that was the basic point. They were called team Masho, and they definitely wanted to win. Jin, the wind master, the icon that told her who they were was a happy spirited demon, but messing with him was stupid, and it was a good way to underestimate him. He wasn't the master of wind for nothing. The matches were one on one, which made things easier, except for the fact that this stupid fucking bitch decided to take the two strongest fighters and hold them back with her stupid fucking force field! San wanted to kill her to, but knew that it wasn't the right call to action. So she watched as Kurama, who planned on taking on three of them, was standing in the ring with the first member of the shinobi that planned to fight. He called himself the Master of Disguise, and he was a complete idiot. Gama was his actual name, and his specialty was locking things away with his pain. Needless to say, she was NOT happy, and going to kill something again soon. Very soon.

"Tell me demon traitor, what does the word make up bring to mind? Human females no doubt, a little gloss to attract another mate. Though for centuries the human influence has infected the spirit world as well. Only few demons even know its original power," said the fruit cake, drawing on himself and then powering up, "Allow me to show you," he lunged at Kurama, but he dodged easily. She was happy she was able to see the movements, as Gama swiftly attacked Kurama consistently. The fox was too good for that, and every attack was easily a miss, "I know all about you and your plant concoctions Kurama, and I don't plan to give you time to make them!" Gama pulled out his paint brushes, running at the fallen demon, "Let me show you what I mean," and Gama coloured on Kurama's left leg, a symbol of sorts. San could tell he wasn't able to move.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly have you done to me?" Kurama asking, kneeling down to observe his ankle.

Gama laughed, "Your leg feels like a giant block of lead doesn't it?"

"That smell..."

"Let me guess, you can't move any part of your body that gets marked up by that junk?" asked Yusuke.

"Yeah, it's old, but it works well," San answered, growling at Gama. She still couldn't figure out why she was so protective of Kurama. Sure, he was her friend, but so were the rest of them and she didn't get so angry when they barely got hurt.

Gama kept laughing, "Why try to fight the inevitable?" Kurama was limping away, practically dragging his leg along, knowing he didn't have a chance of moving it, "The make up of death has already marked you Kurama, there's no hope for escape."

"Kurama..." San was worried, angry and worried. Koto was really starting to piss her off with the commentary, but she knew that it wasn't her fault. Gama used his speed to attack Kurama again, this time marking his wrists and other ankle. He laughed again, a sound she would be happy to stop.

"The costume is complete," he stated, laughing at his own cleverness. Great, now he couldn't move, "The make up of chains!" he called this attack, "Go ahead, just try to move now."

"Kurama! Get rid of the outfit!" Yusuke yelled to him.

Gama snickered evilly, "Don't be naive, even if he had the strength it wouldn't change a thing. Nearly 2000 pounds of weight is chained directly to his skin."

"Bastard!" San yelled, trying to restrain herself. She didn't notice Hiei smirk at her actions.

"He is her mate, am I correct?" the masked fighter questioned Hiei.

"What do you think?" asked Hiei, looking down at his teammate.

"I think maybe you should stay out of it and let them figure it out for themselves."

Gama was jumping around Kurama, laughing in his stupid way. He was going in for the attack. San was hoping he had something up his sleeve.

"Don't leave me alone with these guys!" said Yusuke.

"If he dies, we're done for!" said Kuwabara.

-Please...- San told him directly in his mind.

-Do not worry about me- he told her. Gama was coming in for the kill, everyone waiting in anticipation. And in a desperate attempt, Kurama summoned the rose whip with his hair, slicing through Gama completely, killing him. San breathed a sigh of relief, but suspected Gama still had something up his sleeve.

"But.. the make up.. of chains..." he stammered.

"Only an amateur depends on arms and legs for victory," Kurama told him.

"Way to go Kurama, one down!" yelled Yusuke. Gama's purple blood was leaking everywhere, what an ugly demon he was.

"Damn you. Don't take the credit for this... I've killed myself today... by the mistake of not sealing your energy as well," said Gama.

"Don't waste your breath in conversation. I know with the power your using to restrain me, you could easily heal your injuries. Release me and I'll let you walk away with your life," Kurama told him. It was a fair deal.

"Convincing aren't you? But the battle isn't over yet."

"Even with my arms and legs bound, you are in no shape to fight me. Don't die pointlessly Gama, you are too intelligent for that," was he nuts? Gama started limping towards him, attempting to attack him, but Kurama was moving easily. Gama's blood was leaking all over Kurama, and San suspected that it wasn't a good thing, "Don't move! You'll bleed to death if you keep trying to fight!" but Gama was still attacking, "It's of no use, be wise," though the stupid demon didn't listen. He continued on, with the last ounce of his strength.

"He's up to something," said San to no one in particular. Gama was laughing, and then he fell to the ground, his blood glowing and then returned to normal.

"You were correct after all. It's solely your fault that you die in vain. I cannot pity you," said Kurama, as Koto counted for no reason.

"The death is yours," said Gama weakly.

"What?"

"You never asked me what gave my make up its power, what made it different from those other human fools. The difference is the main ingredient Kurama, it's made of my blood. I have given you the make up of the seal," Gama explained. San gasped, her suspicions confirmed. She was happy that Gama was dying, he deserved it.

"I am definitely not liking the sound of that," said Yusuke.

"It's... what I should have done from the start... I've sealed your spirit energy, your entire power trapped inside your body. Even as I fade the effect will live on. I have secured victory for my shinobi set. And so I die knowing it is not in vain..." Koto reached ten and the victory was theirs. The next shinobi fighter was already on the ring, eyeing down his former teammate. This next fighter was called Touya, and he was the master of ice. Kurama was defenseless, and San was scared that Kurama was going to die.

"You fought bravely Gama. I assure you, your death will be honoured. Kurama will pay," stated Touya, eyeing down the fox demon. There was a fear in her stomach, she didn't want this to happen, or to have anything happen to Kurama. She did not want to have to fight, and she was royally pissed at these circumstances, "Prepare yourself, I'll make this quick."

"Damn, this is wrong," said Yusuke.

"How could they make him fight? If I was stronger I could help out, I'm letting down my team and now he's going to die!" said Kuwabara. San's eyes were starting to tear, damn human feelings. She was so angry it was hard to keep down her energy from bursting.

"Please answer me one thing first. Why? The shinobi have always dealt with their affairs in secret. Why expose yourselves now?" asked Kurama, buying time.

"For light," Touya answered simply.

"Explain."

"It's simple. Even the strongest tree will die if left in the dark. I find that to be the best way to describe us. A giant oak, crashing through a dark soil bringing order to an otherwise chaotic land. The shinobi have done their job for centuries, and we've done it well. But in recent years, we have caught glimpses of the outside world and have asked, why not us? Have we not earned the privilege others take for granted? We are entering a new era, and we will begin with a land of our own. This island... It has already been arranged that if we win this tournament, Hanging Neck Island will be our prize. And once this blinding light pours over us like branches, we will cover the world. Let's cease with the conversation. I know you're just trying to bide time until the seal wears off."

"I admit, you've caught me with my hands red."

"Gama made the mistake of giving you too much time to think. Not me," and he began to charge his spirit energy, creating a dome around the ring, sealing the two of them in. No one would break through it, that San was sure of, but she knew that one word from Yusuke and the two of them would try their damn hardest to break it if Kurama needed the aid.

"Your own climate control. Impressive."

"In addition to improving my attacks, it will serve as a barrier, giving you fewer options for escape. Even with your energy sealed, I admit I'm a little hesitant to get near you, what with your little rose whip maneuver. You understand, I'd rather kill from a distance," said Touya, his hands powered up with green energy balls in his hands. He brought them to his mouth and then blew, releasing ice shard that traveled fast towards Kurama, "Shards of Winter!" he called it. Kurama jumped out of the way, but the shards still ripped at his body. The two fighters ran, and Touya shot another round at the fox. He was bleeding, San could smell his blood in the air, and it made her see red. Her emotions were out of control, her energy was growing.

-Don't. You do something, and we lose and then Toguro kills us anyway- Hiei spoke in her mind. She looked him, he knew something and he wasn't telling her. He was right though, and she calmed down, her energy at least. Kurama was knocked to the ground.

"Just stay down! I'll handle it from here!" Yusuke yelled, trying to help him.

"It's not right," said Kuwabara.

"This might be his time to lose," Botan observed. Kurama stood, weakly San noted. He was breathing heavily, and she didn't like that whatsoever.

"That hit was not enough to beat you. I know you stayed down intentionally in yet another attempt to bide time. I don't suggest you do it again," said Touya. They started running again, and Kurama looked like he was up to something, opening his shirt and smearing his blood on his chest., "Now, now, don't underestimate Gama's abilities. It will take much more than smearing to get rid of that seal."

"Rose whip!" Kurama announced, taking a rose from his hair and attempting to pull out his weapon and access his energy. San could feel his pain, and she found that strange. Kurama was her friend, but the pain she felt was almost like the ones she would've felt had her mate been fighting there instead of him. Still, feeling his pain made her really upset. He fell to the ground.

"I see, you've noticed inklings of your energy inside your blood. Only one problem, to release enough to beat me, you'd need to bleed yourself dry! Gama's seal won't wear off anytime soon. Admit it Kurama, I'm holding your whole life in my hands," said Touya, unleashing another attack. Kurama jumped but took the bulk of them. He was bleeding badly, trying to stand. He managed it, but could barely support himself, and San knew it. His breathing did not improve.

"You really are dangerous aren't you? I haven't been making direct hits, you've been blocking your vital points with your body. You must be very old, experienced, like I am."

"More alike than you know, now tell me. This new life on the outside, what do you truly plan to do with it?"

"The world will know, just as soon as we get there."

"Don't assume," and Kurama stood there defiantly. Touya created an ice blade on his arm, preparing for his next attack.

"I can't allow this to continue!"

"Kurama..." San could feel every inch of his pain. Touya began to run at Kurama, but he was good enough to dodge. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ha. A lucky move my friend. We'll see how long you can keep that up," and Touya ran at him again. Kurama still had his speed, and San was thankful for that, but she knew he couldn't keep it up much longer, and there as no room for mistake.

"Tell fox girl you give up! I swear I'll take it from here!" yelled Yusuke.

"Urameshi knows he can't beat four guys in a row. If Kurama loses we're dead meat," said Kuwabara, and he couldn't be more right. Botan was crying. The attack continued, missing every time. She could feel something then, something strangely familiar. It was coming form Kurama, and the smell... The death plant? Touya slashed Kurama's arm, but San could sense it, he did it on purpose.

"What the hell is wrong with you Kurama, don't get up, let me take him! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Kurama was weak, incredibly weak. She wasn't angry, she was sad, and scared. His blood was the only thing she could smell, and his pain was the only thing she could really feel.

"Please," she tried to get through to him.

"Let me do what I must Yusuke... San..." he told them. Yusuke nodded and San stood there, unable to move.

"I'm going to end your life in one blow, prepare yourself," Touya warned. Kurama screamed in pain, trying to move but injured too badly, "It seems I've gotten to know you quite well in such a short time and I rather like you. Let's not have this slay ruin our friendship."

"My thoughts exactly," and Kurama began to run again.

"Now you shouldn't try to run, I can't promise a painless kill that way," and Touya moved in for the kill, "Farewell!" but Kurama had other plans. The death plant grew out of his arm and straight at Touya, his ice blade inches from Kurama's head. That was why she could smell it, he was basically sacrificing himself. She could heal it though, and maybe he was counting on that. The damn fool, "But how? Your energy is locked inside of you, how could you manipulate the death plant?" and then Touya saw it come out of the wound in his arm, "I see, you've sown the death plant seed into yourself."

"It was my only option. My powers locked inside, inserting the plant into my open wound, the plant got into my blood stream and take route in my sealed energy."

"You... really are something..." said Touya, before falling. He wasn't dead, San was sure that Kurama kept him alive. The barrier disappeared. Koto began her count, and the others were saying something, but San wasn't listening, she was focusing on Kurama, thinking of what was in her inventory that would help immediately. She'd have to rely purely on her energy, and then make the proper herbs to help him. Touya was starting to get up and San held her breath again. He fell and Koto reached ten. She once again breathed a sigh of relief, "You have won the match, I give you that. Please... kill me."

"I will not. You never answered, what do you plan to do with this island? If you get it."

"Who cares?"

"I too have spent years in shadow. Interesting how unexpected regret can appear. That's what this light does... I only wanted to know if you could make your life better, nobler, than mine has been..." and his arm fell. He was still standing, but San gasped.

"Kurama!" it seemed her and Yusuke shouted at the same time. The death plant was beginning to take its toll, he needed attention now, "No.. he can't.."

"Nobler? Than Kurama?" asked Kuwabara.

"What does he mean?" asked Botan. Normally San would've pondered that, but she had other things on her mind. She assumed it was the things he did in his demon life, something she knew so little about, but he needed help, he was dying without her. Koto announced that he had a heart beat, but was out cold.

"Okay, now we're getting somewhere, and hey fox girl, just so we're clear, the rest of the fights are all mine!" said Yusuke. San was walking up to the ring, getting ready to bring him to the side.

"Not so fast," said one of the shinobi fighters. He was big, walking onto the ring looking for blood it seemed, "You forgot something, he's standing in the ring. Yes it looks to me as if he's volunteering to fight again."

"Oh give me a break, Kurama's not even awake!" yelled Yusuke. San was furious. Koto seemed to agree, and announced that Yusuke would fight the next battle. But the blasted committee had other ideas. They declared that Kurama would fight Bakken instead. There were many "What?"s echoing around. They went on to explain shit about it but San wasn't listening. Bakken had thrown Koto out of the ring. He punched Kurama hard, and he flew across the ring. San was powering up, and she could feel Yusuke along side her. She knew that Hiei wasn't going to stop her this time. Even if he had any valid points, this was just wrong, even for demons. Bakken walked up to Kurama and kicked him. Koto was starting a count, but Bakken just lifted Kurama to his feet, continuing his brutal attack with a punch to the stomach. Just a little more and the stupid beast would be dead, she was going to make sure of that. The more Bakken hit Kurama, the more San and Yusuke got angry.

"Stop! I'm all for extreme pain and torture you disgusting horse, but this guy's not even awake to enjoy it!" yelled Koto, stepping in front of Kurama, "I'm taking a ten count!" but Bakken just shoved her out of the way. Bakken was about to land a punch, Yusuke prepared his gun and San took a fighting stance. She was waiting for Yusuke, if he fired, she fired. Between the two of them, they could take on the whole stadium. Bakken stopped his attack, but the two of them were ready. Bakken threw Kurama out of the ring.

"Kurama..." said San, running to him. She brought him to the edge, cradling his head in her lap. She used the energy that she had powered up and focused it on his wounds, willing the death plant to desist. "Yusuke," she called to him as he walked by. He looked at her curiously, "Destroy him," she told the detective. She could tell by his blood lust that he was going to do just that, and he stepped into the ring. She turned her attention solely to Kurama, ignoring everything else around her. The death plant was stopped, and she could feel his heart returning to its normal pace. He was glowing with her energy.

_-So... familiar... do you feel that Shuuichi?-_

-Yes Youko. What is it?-

_-It feels like her... like my beloved... But how?-_

-It's San. She's retreating the death plant-

_-This girl is strange-_

-Agreed-

-Are you in there?- he heard San's voice calling out to him.

-Yes, I'll live, thanks to you-

-Well you know me, happy to help, blah blah, blah-

Kurama chucked in his mind at her, -Thank you-

San smiled, relieved that he was alive. She could swear she felt a familiar presence in his mind, but was more focused on his well being. He reached consciousness, and she took that to be a good sign, a very good one. She heard Yusuke yell, and then tuned into what was going on. She heard him attacking, and the bones of Bakken cracking. Koto began counting to ten, and she finished just as quickly, declaring Yusuke the winner. He walked over to them.

"How you guys doing?" he asked, kneeling down with them.

"I'll survive, thanks to San. Sorry I couldn't finished the first three as I planned," responded Kurama.

"Idiot," San muttered under her breath, though she was sure he had heard her.

"Shut up. How are the wounds?" continued Yusuke.

"My injuries from Team Masho are nothing compared to this death plant."

"But I'm taking care of that. Most of the effect have been removed, its just a manner of getting it out of the body," explained San.

"I suppose we really do reap what we sow right?" Kurama attempted laughing.

"Cut it out, you're making things worse!" San gave him shit, pouring more of her energy into the plant. It had to be done specifically, or it could kill him, but she was happy that he trusted her completely to do it.

"Listen, just get some rest okay? These last two guys are going to be fish meat soon," said Yusuke.

"Be cautious Yusuke, whatever plans the shinobi have for this island, they want it badly. These last two members are without a doubt the strongest," Kurama warned, wincing when San moved his arm so she could observe it. Yusuke went back into the ring to fight with Jin. She could sense him, knowing he had the power of flight, "I really don't know how I can thank you San. It would have normally been hard for me to do this on my own."

"Just don't do anything stupid like this again okay? Or else I'll just let the plant eat you," she replied, beginning the process of draining the plant.

Kurama chuckled, "Fair enough."

"Ugh, don't move asshole, this is difficult enough," but she said it with a light heart. Kurama smirked, hating how he loved all the attention he was getting from her. Why did she have to be mated? It would make coming to terms with his feelings much easier if she was still a free soul. His thoughts were interrupted by Jin's swift flight around the stadium. The two of them tuned into the match, knowing that Jin would be a tough opponent.


	13. Love is Strange

She was right, Jin was a tough opponent. But he was happy, and funny, and San rather liked the wind apparition. She was happy that he made it out alive. It was really interesting how Yusuke seemed to make demon friends, and she had always said that all males were alike. They fight, they shake hands, they move on. Women were nothing like that, it was always about getting even, constantly. San didn't care much for consistent revenge, she believed in justice, but only where it was due. Still, Yusuke was impressive, using the spirit wave even though she knew for a fact that Genkai had never taught it to him. It was incomplete, but it was definitely effective. Jin was defeated and the leader was left. Kurama was still weak, but he would get better, the death plant neutralized and his wounds not being so serious anymore. Risho was in the ring, waiting for his next opponent. The committee had declared Yusuke was out of the ring for longer than the ten count, and was therefore unable to fight. Risho was cocky, and San was pissed at this whole round. They were blaming Koto, Botan was freaking out, even the crowd was appalled by this. Now what were they going to do? San would fight, but only if one of them died, and that wasn't allowed since everyone was alive.

"Do you feel that?" San asked Kurama. Something familiar, and slightly cold was in the air. It wasn't in the stadium, but it was somewhere near.

"No, I'm still weak from my fight. Is it perhaps your mate?" he answered, hoping it wasn't so.

"No, it's not him, it something gentle, yet cold."

"I'm afraid I do not understand your meaning."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough. Just relax, and drink this, it'll numb most of your discomfort."

"Thank you. I admit, my last move was purely dependent on your knowledge of the death plant, and on how to remove it if I wasn't able to."

"I figured. You're not as mysterious as your façade," she smiled at him, pouring more energy into removing the seed from him. The branches were still sticking out of his body, but that would take time to get rid of. At least all of his serious injuries were cured enough for her. They turned they're attention back to the ring, noticing Risho knock Touya away. Fucking idiots. There seemed to be no such thing as honor with this guy, or the other guy that nearly killed Kurama. He then moved onto to Koto, and she was scared.

"You know, you seem really anxious to intimidate everyone but me. What do you think that means?" asked Yusuke, not very happy about these pests.

"Detective, don't waste your time trying to change their minds," began Hiei. His strength had returned, even the apparitions arm was doing better with the healing power in the force field. San would still have to do some work on it, "Play by their rules and you'll be dragged down with them. There's only one real law of the Dark Tournament, the strongest man prevails! I've retrieved enough energy to rip my way out. Let's show this whole stadium a new definition for victory!"

"They're going to kill us all anyway, so why don't we take on every damn freak till no ones left? That sounds good to me, I'm already about to go off," said Yusuke. San couldn't agree more. Hiei's power was bursting, it was breaking through the force field. Koto was announcing the loss for the team, but Kuwabara was on his feet.

"We still got one more fighter on our team," he declared. He took of his shirt, getting ready.

"You're kidding me!" said Yusuke.

"The boy can't even walk without doubling over! As the team trainer I must say this is a ridiculous idea!" screamed Botan.

"Interesting..." trailed Kurama.

"Stupid is more like it," said San. Kuwabara was wincing as he walked into the ring. Botan ran off to wherever, but San was more focused on the current events. She may actually have to fight with Kuwabara voluntarily killing himself like this, but then at least, everyone else would be safe. She was sure of Risho and his powers, but how in the hell would Kuwabara think he stood a chance in his present state?

"I can handle this you guys! Remember the lady from the medical tent said that Hiei and the masked fighter were no good, and that I was okay!" said Kuwabara.

"Stupid, cause she's not a nurse!" retorted Yusuke.

"Don't confuse the issue, the point is I'm still eligible to fight and I'm the only one."

"Yes, but eligible and able are two different words," San barely heard Hiei's comment.

"You shut up shrimp!" yelled Kuwabara, attempting to walk over there but holding his stomach and dropping to his knees. San sighed, she was going to have to mend bones, and she really hated that. He wasn't even in the ring yet.

"See, you're in no shape!" said Yusuke, running to stand in front of him, proving a point.

"I'm going Urameshi, unless you want to kill me yourself," declared Kuwabara. They had a stare down. Men, "I know these guys are cheating us, I know you're angry, and heck I know what happens if we lose. But if you and Hiei go on some tirade, destroying people until you get your way, you'll be just like them. Let's win this thing clean-"

"Like men."

"How touching," said Hiei, his voice dripping with sarcasm. San couldn't help but chuckle.

"Bit my ankles shorty! I'll make you cry to your mom! That is if you have a mom..."

"And to think, they could one day be in-laws," said Kurama. His voice wasn't weak anymore, and San was happy about that. She laughed at his comment though, and then realized what she was feeling was Yukina. That must have been where Botan went, to get her to come in. This also meant that she could help with the healing. She heard Hiei speak to Botan, obviously warning her about the truth with Yukina. They both returned their attention to the next match.

"It's not wise, but at least it'll give us time to consider our options, provided he lives and then San will fight," said Kurama.

"He's killing himself," said Yusuke, who had an interesting connection with this boy. Risho was ready, Kuwabara preparing himself as well. San didn't like this one bit, but what choice did they really have?

"Think Yusuke, there must be some way we can prevent this disaster," said Kurama.

"I don't know," he replied.

"There is no way, not with the committee against us," said San. She hugged Kurama without knowing she did so, fearing for Kuwabara. Despite the events, Kurama couldn't help but notice this. She was incredibly warm, and he could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

"Maybe we can beat up that stupid committee or something."

"Fat chance."

Kuwabara began to run, summoning his spirit sword, but it vanished. His energy was too low, now he was really doomed. Risho jumped, laughing at this misfortune. He appeared behind Kuwabara and thundered a kick to the back. He continued to beat up Kuwabara, San cringing at some of the hard ones. He was still on his feet, but now he was bleeding.

"Quit letting that creep wail on you, show some fucking balls!" yelled Yusuke.

"We both know he's proven enough. It's a miracle he's even standing," said Kurama. San wasn't happy, impressed but not happy. Kuwabara was finally down, and Koto was taking a 10 count. He was back up, but he was weak. Risho continued his attacks, but them something completely unexpected happened. Risho was about to show them the awesome power of the Earth. The ground was shaking, as he summoned the ground around him, his earth armor. It was made of clay, a strong substance. San was impressed.

"What an amazing thing," she stated.

"You know, that can get really annoying very quickly," said Yusuke, but Kuwabara was struck just then, a massive blow. She could feel Kurama tense, and he felt her cringe, squeezing him. Kuwabara took another blow, but was rising to his feet once more. The idiot planned on using his life energy to defeat Risho, just like Yusuke had done against Suzaku. Idiot.

"Hiei, your a little punk, and you always said mean stuff to me. But I know underneath all that junk, you're a good guy. Kurama, you taught me a lot with the things you said. There's no one more caring than you. San, you've been a great help, and I know that replacing me will ensure our victory with this fight, and against Toguro. Lonely fighter, person, you saved those guys from the doctor, and that means a lot. You didn't say much, but somehow I feel that I already know you. Urameshi, well... just take care of the rest of this okay," said Kuwabara, "farewelling" everyone. San let a tear fall as she heard gasps echoing from the team. Was this a variable? It must be, because Kuwabara was not the one to die. Yusuke was yelling, but she couldn't hear.

And then something amazing happened. It was very curious indeed that Kuwabara could barely support himself, but once Yukina made an appearance, he was all better. Motivation of the best kind came from here, he really did love her. He pushed Risho away, striking him with a devastating blow. He was left outside of the ring and then ran towards Yukina, showing off.

"I am never going to understand that bastard," said Yusuke. San felt the same, laughing at Kuwabara's actions. Risho began to run at Kuwabara again, putting more armor on. Kuwabara was able to summon his spirit sword, and then Risho's armor was destroyed. Koto was at five by the time Kuwabara noticed anything. He climbed into the ring, and their team won the match. He fell down, resting as he should be. San was relieved, and then realized she was practically choking Kurama. She released him.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's alright. I think perhaps now it is time to get some rest," he replied, trying to ignore his feelings inside. She helped him up, and they walked back to the hotel room. She set him down on his bed. The next battle would be the semi-finals. She wasn't looking forward to that, but her mate hadn't made an appearance. She administered one more round of her energy, practically draining every ounce she had, and then the branches from the plant were gone. He coughed out the seed, and she caught it in her hand. She placed it in with her other inventory, not having any of these. She would breed them in her garden, back at Genkai's temple. He seemed to be sleeping, so she got up from her seat beside him on the bed. He grabbed her wrist and she gasped, "Thank you San. For everything," he told her, looking into her tawny eyes. It was painful to know that once again there was nothing he could do about his feelings towards her, but was happy she cared about him.

"It's nothing," she replied, trapped in his green orbs. Why did he affect her so?

"It is not. You have used all of your energy today to make sure I would survive. I do not know anyone that would do that, aside from my mate."

"I don't like losing people, I lost the love of my life, and the pain was unbearable. I still feel it, right here," she said, taking his hand and placing it where her heart was. He knew what she meant, feeling Youko inside of him. He was surprised the demon hadn't mentioned anything about this, but knew he would probably get an earful later. She moved his hand, and was getting ready to depart.

"Wait," Kurama said without thinking. He didn't want her to leave just yet. She turned around, curiously, "Would it be too much trouble to ask for your assistance cleaning these wounds?" She stood there for a minute, thinking it looked like.

"No, it's fine, I don't know why I didn't think of it in the first place," she answered.

...

Kurama was waiting at the next battle. He watched the teams fight, knowing that his team would be fighting with the victor in the semi finals. Hiei and San were with him, and they watched the quickest match yet. It was over in under two minutes, but that didn't seem surprising. You had to be tough to make it this far, and the three demons knew that. They were well informed of these tournaments, and that's what gave them advantages. They knew what to expect, unlike Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"What an arrogant fool," stated Hiei.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Guess you guys have the same idea we did about scoping out the competition for the semi finals," said Kuwabara, walking up to the demons with Botan, Genkai, Yusuke and some random thing that looked as if it was attached to Yusuke's head.

"Had the same idea. The fight is over," said Kurama.

"What?"

"That's what you get for sleeping in you bum," San threw in there.

"That's unbelievable. I mean I can't believe we missed the entire match just because I took a couple of extra minutes to brush my teeth."

"It was an impressive sight to behold," said Kurama.

"Though I'm sure your minty fresh breath was well worth the delay," said Hiei, "What is that ridiculous appendage growing out of your head all about?" he asked Yusuke.

"It's just a puberty thing okay! So Kurama, how are you wounds treating you? asked Yusuke.

"It will be fine, I'll be fighting again tomorrow. You can thank San for that," he answered.

"Hn. Seems it's not as bad as you had us think," said Hiei.

"Compared with your energy loss, no it seems it's not," said Kurama, rolling his eyes. San laughed, enjoying that he actually had more of a sense of humour than he lead on.

"Hey! I got an idea you guys! Ask Yukina to use her healing powers. She's amazing, as soon as she touches you, you'll feel better than you ever have before, and she's pretty too. She's actually here to look for her long lost estranged brother. I'm going to help her look for him just as soon as we win this tournament," said Kuwabara, very fast and very excitedly.

"Yukina's brother? Yes, sounds like a noble cause, we should assist her to, Hiei."

"Yeah, you can even lend an eye!" said Yusuke. San couldn't control her laughter. It seemed more funny to pick on Hiei than anyone, and she didn't know why.

Hiei growled, "Will you shut up!" Kurama laughed quietly along with Yusuke.

"Hey... what's going on here? Am I missing something? What aren't you guys telling me, what are you guys laughing about anyway?" asked Kuwabara. That made Yusuke, Kurama and San laugh more, Hiei looking ready to kill.

"Just what Hiei said about this ridiculous thing on my head right?" answered Yusuke.

"I heard him say that, it wasn't that funny," declared Kuwabara, but the laughter didn't stop. Yusuke looked at Genkai, as did San and it seemed all the fun had stopped.

"Hello. What's your problem?" he questioned her. She just stared, passing her judgement on him. Then, Toguro's team appeared on the entrance across from them. Those eyes, the eyes of Karasu, they were staring directly at her, at San. Instinctively she grabbed Kurama, basically hiding behind him. He protectively stood in front of her, not quite understanding what it was about them that got her so upset. They left shortly after, but San was still shaking. She was really hoping Youko would appear soon, she didn't even stand a chance at defending herself against Karasu and she knew that he would come for her. Just as soon as everyone was out of the way.

"At least your act is tough," said Genkai.

"Hey, I work hard at it!"

"No, this can't be. How could I have missed it for so long? They must have shielded their energy from detection. I feel so... Light headed..." said Kuwabara, kneeling down, "We can't compete with these guys Urameshi. What are we going to do?" The next battle was beginning. The team retreated into the locker room to think things through and continue the conversation.

"I'm just saying it's not that big of a deal Kuwabara, and us bitching about it isn't going to help," began Yusuke, "You probably feel their powers now because your senses got better. Come on, Toguro's the one who invited us to this stupid tournament, none of thought it was going to be a joy ride but we can beat him okay?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, don't you think you're forgetting about somebody?" said the opposing team, the one that was to fight them next. They had opened the door, clearly wanting to make an impression for themselves.

"No one of real importance," said Kurama, glaring at them. San was beside him, still shaken up from seeing Karasu, and feeling the stare he gave her. She didn't cling to him, it wasn't right, especially with Youko about, but she wanted to. She needed her mate right now.

"Who's that?" asked Kuwabara.

"My guess would be the freak show rejects," answered Yusuke.

"My name is Kuro Momotaro," said the weird blond one.

"Makintaro," said the biggest of them. He was incredibly ugly too, well, they all were, or so San noted.

"Ura Urashima," said the short one with the fishing rod.

"Shishiwakamaru," said the one with the bug looking hair.

"And you can just call me Onji," said the old man, and obviously the leader of this retarded looking team.

"If you guys are looking for us to go easy on you, you're wasting your and more importantly, our time," said Yusuke, taunting them. Kuro spit gum it looked like.

"Nah, it's the exact opposite, we want a good fight," said Kuro.

"We will be famous, but we're going to need more than two minutes of exposure to get that way," added Shishiwakamaru. What a stupid name. They started to leave after that comment.

"Arrogant little prick don't you think?" said Yusuke.

"You can say that again," said Kuwabara.

"If you want to be famous why don't you start a boy-band? You got the look down."

Shishiwakamaru turned around after that last remark. He grew horns, attempting to look more bad ass San was assuming. He looked pretty stupid in her opinion, but that's because her mate was the best thing she had ever laid eyes on. He wasn't deformed or small, she was happy that out of the bunch she could have had, he wasn't like any of the other apparitions, "We'll get ugly soon enough Urameshi, just you wait!" he declared, before the whole team walked away.

"Those guys aren't even worth two minutes. Their powers are like nothing compared to Toguro," said Kuwabara.

"We could always wear blind folds. At least that way it'd be more amusing," said Yusuke.

"Pride is for the weak Yusuke," said Genkai. San stared at her. It seemed today that she was up to something, that some major event was going to take place. Could it be?

"Leave me alone!" yelled Yusuke. Genkai continued to stare, and San was sure of what was about to happen, "Stop looking at me like that you masked freak!" and he punched a whole in the wall, purely for dramatics San was assuming. Botan dropped the drinks that she went to get, startled at Yusuke's anger, "If you've got something to say, say it!"

"It's quite simple really. If the leader of Team Toguro is... Toguro, then the leader of Team Urameshi should be Yusuke Urameshi. The question I'm posing is, do you have what it takes to beat Toguro all by yourself, Yusuke Urameshi?" what was she up to? San was worried.

"Guys, break it up! Let's try and get along," said Kuwabara.

"Kuwabara's right, can we please talk this through peacefully," Botan butted in. San was watching Genkai intently, trying to figure out what was going on. Was it time for her vision to come into play? She didn't want that, she wanted a way to alter that one, but she knew that she couldn't, she didn't know when that would happen.

"You think you should lead this team instead of me?" said Yusuke, ignoring the two of them.

"If necessary. Follow me," said Genkai, walking out the door.

"Yeah, let's take this outside," said Yusuke, following her. Now San knew what was going on, and it was about damn time too.

"Yusuke don't be stupid!" Botan called after him.

"Let them be," said Hiei, drawing attention back into the room, "They will have to settle this themselves."

"Yeah, that's what we're afraid might happen. Those two are so strong and so mad they'll probably settle this to the death and that's no good," mused Kuwabara.

"It's a shame, but there's nothing we can do."

"And even if there were anything that could be done, it's hardly our place to interfere with their affairs," said Kurama.

"How can you possibly say those things? Can't you see it could tear this team apart?" said Botan, the thing in her arms freaking out. What was it anyway? "And none of you seem to be bothered enough to care!" she screamed, running out the door.

"You're all wrong you know," said San. They looked at her curiously, waiting for her to elaborate, "their not going to physically fight each other. Yusuke is simply going to complete his training. Just in time for Toguro, he's the match we've really got to worry about. Particularly me."

"Why you?" asked Kuwabara.

"It's a long story, and I'm not getting into it, so don't bother asking. Let's just say I won't die, but my fate will be worse than death."

"San..." Kurama trailed, wondering what she was talking about. Maybe that was why she got so nervous around his team, someone must be after her, or her powers, or something of the like. He wished she would tell him so that he could help.

"Well whatever happens San, Toguro's going to have to go through me and I'm sure all of us to get to you. By then he should be weak enough that you have a chance of getting away," declared Kuwabara.

She smiled at him, appreciating the gesture, "Thanks," she knew that they would defend her to the death. She didn't know if she could allow that, but what choice did she have? The semi finals would begin tomorrow, everything felt tense. Maybe that was because of the tournament being over, and still no sign of Youko. She needed him, knowing that Karasu was lurking in the shadows, waiting for his moment to strike. She knew that the combined power of her and Youko would have a chance of defeating him, but in order for that to happen, she needed to find him, and soon.

...

thanks to all my readers and reviewers.. i look forward to hearing more feedback please? :)


	14. Reminiscing

It was a sleepless night. Too much was going through his mind, and he didn't know how to silence it. Most of his musing was San, and what she meant about her fate with the Toguro team. He didn't ask, she wouldn't tell. He could sense she was anxious, and the obvious display of fear when they appeared told him enough. He wanted to help the apparition, but could see no way if she was going to keep her mouth shut. Where was her mate? Surely he could sense danger for her, so why then hadn't he appeared? San said that he would appear in the ring, but when? There were only four teams left, and if he was on any of them, they would be together by now. He really liked that girl, but it was no use. She was loyal to her mate, that much was obvious, and Kurama found it hard to control himself sometimes around her. Mating season was like that, especially knowing there was nothing you could since you were mated for life. It was because of Youko's influence that Kurama pushed girls away, because even though he was human, he would feel as if he was betraying Moriko as well. The life of a demon living inside a human, now that could be an interesting television show. Where did that come from? She was definitely leaving her mark upon him.

_-You know you are putting yourself through unnecessary pain Shuuichi-_ said Youko.

-You've been awfully silent lately- Kurama noted.

_-It has been hard for me to summon up power. I apologize for leaving you alone, it seems I should have been here to watch you-_

-No need Youko. It's true, I developed feelings for San, but I know better than to act on them-

_-Good, I would not want us to do something the two of us would regret-_

-The two of you must really have had a unique bond-

_-Yes. Demons do not care much for mating with the same kind, since we are all from the same world. Much like mating outside your race for you humans. Moriko and I were both legends, leaders, and very much alike naturally, without those aspects. The love we shared was the kind that lasted many life times, and it can never be broken, not even by death and imprisonments-_

-My condolences for your loss. I felt your pain as if it were my own-

_-But it was your own Shuuichi! I am sure in all my memories, my dreams that you see, you have fallen for her as well. You are more demon than human because of my influence-_

-I'm not sure how to respond to that. How did Moriko feel about humans?-

_-She was fond of them, the ones that she encountered. She had never been around them for an extended period of time, but I am sure she would have the same opinion as your San does. My apologies for being a burden to act upon your feelings for the girl. She is not human, and maybe that is why I have been intrigued by her as well. She will find her mate soon, possibly by the next battle tomorrow, I feel something strange in the air-_

-That would be the reason you chose to converse with me tonight I presume?-

_-Something of the sort. I wished to thank you for the patience you have shown me. I will do the same for you, I will live life with you until your human mother passes-_

-That's very kind of you Youko. I really do not wish to leave her so soon. However, it is for Koenma to decide that particular fate-

_-I am still not powerful enough to emerge, but when that day comes, I will refrain from leaving until you are ready. It is the least I can do for you Shuuichi, I have grown quite attached to you-_

Kurama chucked, -Excellent pun Youko, we'll make a human out of you yet-

_-Please Shuuichi, do not joke about such things- _but Kurama could tell it was a joke as well.

Youko was silent, but Kurama was still awake, and still thinking about tomorrow. Youko was right, something big was going to happen, something that could possibly change his life. He felt it, smelled it, and even tasted it. He knew it would affect him and San alike, and that worried him. Her mate was going to show up, and then what would happen when he did? After this team, they would have to worry about Toguro next, and that was another worry for him. The sun was peaking up through the horizon, announcing that it was dawn. Kurama watched it as it came up, enjoying the view, setting him at peace for just a moment. If he could just freeze time and stay in this place like this, there would never be anything to worry about, nor dangerous fights to be had. The demon lurking inside of him was still in pain, but not yet ready to move on. Kurama thought about how his life would be if it wasn't for Youko. Many things like this would not happen, his mother would probably have passed with the illness she got, and he would have never met San he was sure. Even if he had, it was the demon she felt in him that kept her around. She seemed intent on following him around from the start, right when she saved him from the demon that attacked him in the alleyway, and she nearly bit the head off of Hiei. Kurama smiled, she seemed to always be there, watching his back, she was a good friend.

...

_She sleeps in the den peacefully. There is not a care in her face, just pure bliss. He watches her sleep, knowing he will not get any. She hunted all night, being a wolf and in favour of the moon, and what she found pleased him so. Even if she didn't find him any treasures, he was pleased with her always. She is his mate, marked on the back of her left shoulder blade, Youko Kurama. She is a legend, like himself, and the best thing that ever happened to him. She is carrying his young, and he could not be more proud of that. Before her, life was just a chase, and now it has a purpose, a direction. He strokes her tawny hair. It is soft between his fingers, running down her bare back. It is the day before her vision is to take place, she will be alert, so he lets her sleep. He plays with her ear, smirking as it twitches with his touch. She is radiant, and he would never trade anything for the life has has now._

_"Youko, that is very irritating," she mumbles in her tired voice._

_"I'm sorry beloved, I did not wish to wake you," he replies._

_"Why are you still awake?"_

_"I slept while you hunted. Now sleep koishii, we will not be departing any time soon."_

_"We must get our times right."_

_"I am a fox, I do most of my hunting during the day. You are a wolf, your time is with the moon."_

_"What is time to a wolf?"_

_"I'm not sure beloved."_

_"One would think that by now you knew the answer."_

_Youko laughed, "One would also think you would not ask such strange questions."_

_"Foolish kitsune. Until you provide an answer, the question will not disappear."_

_"No, I suppose not. But now is not the time beloved. Get your rest now," he commands as pack leader. She knows this, and closes her eyes once more, under the watchful golden eyes upon her._

_..._

_She walks, hunting for her treasure. The den is clean, as always keeps it, but there was something lurking about. She makes no noise as she creeps through the tree. She knows all the traps, she smells them, and avoids them easily. She enters the circular room, reserved for training. He was here, she could smell him. Her vision was then blurred, and her head explodes with pain._

_"You are almost there koishii, you must work on your stealth," he tells her as he walks towards her and offers a hand to help her up. He hates having to inflict pain on her, but he knows she has to learn the ways of the bandit._

_"And you must work on your stench," she responds to him, standing on her feet. They would join his pack in a few days, and her training was nearly complete._

_"Forgive me."_

_"No need, it just means that we will need to bathe," she raises a brow suggestively. He stares into her tawny eyes, loving how she plays. She leads him to the lake, his hand in hers. They arrive, staring into the moonlit water. They look at one another, before removing their clothes and jumping in. They swim to the waterfall, following the path to their space, their secret den where he had marked her. This spot is sacred to the two of them, and they would forever return to it should they be in the area. The seal of the wolf clan hangs off a rock, that a plant was inserted into. It is the mutual possession of the two legends and their union. They kiss beneath it, letting their feelings and instincts take over._

_"I love you Moriko, since the day I first broke into your den."_

_"I love you Youko. You were the one from my vision that was to take me from this place."_

_..._

The sun peaked through the curtains, but San hadn't slept all night. The vision of Youko replayed in her head, and that meant today was the day she would finally be reunited with him. There was no way it couldn't be today, unless it was the Toguro battle, if the team managed to get that far. Yusuke was still in the middle of absorbing Genkai's spirit wave orb, and would probably not be around for this battle. Between Kurama and Hiei, she was sure the semi finals would be alright. Of course she would be going, and she was relieved that Yukina was around to help out with the healing. Even with her improved strength it was hard keeping up with five fighters. Well, four, Genkai was capable of healing herself. Still, it was nice to have help with them. She threw the covers off herself and got ready for the match coming up. She was sure the team was already there, so she would meet them. No, Kuwabara was probably still asleep and would be the last one there, but she was sure the demon part of the team was up, ready, and waiting. It didn't take her long to be ready, and she headed towards the new stadium, where she knew Kurama and Hiei would be waiting.

...

They waited. There was a new announcer in the ring, Juri, fish demon it looked like. Koto was moved to a booth, obviously because of her commentary during the last time the Urameshi team fought. At least she had a heart, somewhat. San was anxious, the battle about to come forth being different, and she knew it had more meaning than what was lead on. She couldn't sense Youko, but the time was coming soon. This battle or the next, he would appear, and she was looking forward to that. Team Uraotogi entered the arena first, and then Team Urameshi, consisting only of Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara. San figured that the other two members would be delayed or not even show up at all, what with Yusuke's training and such.

"I was not exactly expecting to fight this round three against five," said Hiei.

"The cause that is delaying them is very important. We'll simply have work around it," said Kurama.

"I don't know why you're stressing Hiei, I'll just beat them all myself," declared Kuwabara, strutting up to the stage.

"Hn," was Hiei's remark as they followed his lead. San stayed on the sidelines, her place not with them yet, or anytime she was hoping. They stood across from each other in the center of the stage, the famous stare down taking place.

"What magnificent images of destruction and misery must be swimming through these competitors heads as they stare down their enemies in the ring. But as the countdown reaches zero, Yusuke and the masked fighter have still not entered the ring, leaving their teammates mismatched three to five. Will Hiei and Kurama each have to fight twice to keep their team alive?" came Koto's commentary.

"What's that supposed to mean? I said I'm taking them all myself!" yelled Kuwabara. San smirked, as did Shishiwakamaru.

"I thought we agreed on a good fight. What has happened to the rest of your team?" asked Shishi.

"Oh they just said you guys weren't worth their time," answered Kuwabara. Shishi glared.

"It is now time to chose the conditions for your fight," said Juri. San could tell she was new to this whole thing, she lacked excitement.

"Hn. It doesn't matter, let's just see who lives," said Hiei.

"You're a hasty aren't you boy?" commented Momotaru, slurping with his gum as he did so. Gross, "I take it you are fighting first," he finished, blowing a bubble.

"That's right I am. First, last and only. I've been under too much stress lately. Killing you all should be a good remedy," said Hiei, his right arm charging with energy. He wasn't quite ready to use it again, but he was nearly there, San spending time the previous day to work on it.

Shishi laughed, "We're all anxious to fight here. Why don't we let an outside party decide the pairings," he suggested, pulling out two dice, "Each six sided die represents a team with one members team on each side. The sixth side is a free space and anyone can fight when it comes up. You must fight as many times as your name appears, as long as you're still alive."

"Doesn't matter to me, but one thing. Whenever its the name of someone not around, I will be fighting in their place."

"Fate makes her choice," and Shishi threw the dice. The first match would be Hiei vs. Makintaro. The remaining members of the team walked to the side, while the biggest of the opposing team stayed and the smallest left of their team remained as well. Interesting. The fight began and it looked as if Hiei had just pulled out his sword, standing there, but San was easily able to follow his movements.

"That's very impressive," said Kurama. San nodded, but Kuwabara didn't see what just happened. Blood dripped from behind Hiei.

Makintaro laughed, "What's wrong? Did we have a little accident in our trousers?"

Hiei smirked, "You're whole nervous system. It leaves much to be desired."

The hideous demon continued to laugh, "What are you talking about? My nervous system. Come on! Just give me your best shot!"

"Fool. I already have," and Hiei revealed the arm he had severed. Makintaro started to freak out, dripping blood everywhere. San laughed despite the seriousness of this.

"Whoa, he's even faster than last time!" said Kuwabara.

"You're lucky I'm generous," he said, throwing the severed arm and walking away.

"Hey, where are you going? I'm not done with you," Makintaro said to Hiei's retreating back. Hiei ignored the beast, "I said I'm not done with you yet!" he screamed, growing another arm, only it was an axe, not a hand. He charged at Hiei, but San knew the fire apparition was too good for that. Everyone was tense, and for a moment it looked as if he won.

"Your eyes are rather slow. Too bad," said Hiei, severing Makintaro's head with his sword. San was always a fan of decapitations. It was just a for sure that one's enemy was dead, there was no living after that. She liked guarantees better than variables, she assumed because of her many visions throughout her years.

"Gross!" yelled Kuwabara.

"Shit happens..." San trailed. Shishi rolled the dice once more, and they landed on Kuro Momotaru and a free space. Hiei of course took the free space, and eyed down his next opponent. San couldn't really blame him for being so eager to fight, since he had missed out completely on the bullshit round. Momotaru stood there chewing his gum like a cow. He talked to the Onji character and then proceeded to face off with Hiei.

"What are you jokers over there whispering about. If you've got something so important to say, share it with the rest of the group!" yelled Kuwabara. San sighed, not liking this Kuro guy. He spit out his gum.

"If I were you little man, I wouldn't let that last victory go to my head," said Kuro, bending town and grasping the sword, "He may have been the biggest on our team but he was also the weakest. Here, let me get him off your sword!" and he kicked the beast clean off the stage, laughing.

"Hey that's your teammate!" said Kuwabara.

"I think you'll find that I'm just a tad tougher than Makintaro was," and the idiot licked the blade,"Hey, sweet sword!"

"Hate to say it but that's hardly hygienic. You have no idea how many creatures that sword has cut through," said Hiei.

"Oh I'm sure, here, let me add one more," said Kuro, slicing his forearm. What the fuck? "Oh yeah, that's it, it hurts so good! Oh yeah baby, now we're talking!"

"These guys are making it a little easy for us to beat them," observed Kuwabara. Kuro's actions were really puzzling, but San was sure they'd find out why he did such a stupid thing, if it was indeed stupid in the first place. He dropped the sword and pulled one of the balls off of his belt.

"This is the steaming sphere that seals your fate," said Kuro.

"I don't know what that is, but he doesn't make it sound very good," said Kuwabara. San narrowed her eyes, having an idea of what it was. He crushed the ball, inhaling the steam that came from it. San watched just as Kurama and Hiei did, waiting for Kuro's next move, and the effects of the sphere. He started to grow hair, laughing as he did so.

"Beast armor! Armor of the ape! What do you think Hiei?" Kuro laughed. Everyone stared, but San was trying to figure something out.

"Those sphere's must contain some sort of animal properties that transform him once consumed," said Kurama. It was like a light that shone in cartoons when they had an idea. San growled in realization, "San?" Kurama questioned, wondering what kind of outburst this could be about. She only got angry when it was something personal, or when someone was threatening he noticed. Something about these sphere's were bothering her, and he wanted to know what it was this time.

"But I won't be needing this scrap medal anymore and I'm sorry to say, neither will you," said Kuro, throwing the sword towards Hiei. He caught it by the hilt with no effort, swinging it once and looking as if he was planning his next move.

"We'll see about that," Hiei replied, San suspected mostly to himself. San was angry, more than that, she was livid, and ready to kill. She wanted nothing more than to jump onto the stage and tear Kuro limb from limb. How dare he bring such abominations to this tournament? That fucking bastard! He would pay for his crimes, that was something San was going to make sure of. The fight had officially begun by Juri's word, "Let's put this armor to the test," said Hiei, swinging his sword skillfully and then lunging at Kuro. The sword made contact with the enemy's right arm, but it seemed as if it wasn't going anywhere beyond the skin.

"Yeah, you got him!" declared Kuwabara, obviously missing something. But San knew exactly what was going on, and it angered her more. Kuro was laughing, and the sword broke in half, "That's impossible! What the heck happened to his sword?"

"I think it broke," answered Kurama. Hiei must have been thinking of his next move, taking a couple steps to his right.

"I'd rather destroy you with my own hands anyway," he said, jumping out of sight briefly. Kuro was faster than that though, making contact with his attacks and sending Hiei clean across the ring and colliding with the stand walls.

"He's in trouble..." Kurama trailed. San didn't care about that. Kuro began explaining his strategy, but San already knew that, that's another reason she was pissed off. There was only one way to get beast armor in the first place, "San, what is it? Please... tell me," Kurama pleaded. He wanted to know, he wasn't happy with her mystery.

"Those steaming spheres were once used to hunt some of the members of my clan. For wolf armor, other demons would come, slaughter us and use the powers left over to contain the powers. Many of my clan died, including my brother. I was framed for his murder, and that's why I was banished from my realm. Either way, this Kuro is using them, and is part of the slaughter, and I will not be happy until he is dead," San explained, "I do not know where my brother ended up, if it is with this demon or not, but if he does have Akatsuki in one of those spheres, I'll tell you now I will not be held responsible for my blood lust. He was the only real family I had in the first place, and it makes it worse that I was framed for his murder. I've hated people like Kuro ever since, bastards can't even develop their own power, they murder a life for it!" San was fuming. Kurama moved closer to her, ready to restrain her if necessary. He could understand her rage, but now wasn't the time for revenge. Her actions could cause them to lose, and Kurama couldn't have that.

Hiei was up again, and walking towards the stage. There was a "Kill Hiei" chant echoing throughout the stadium. Kuro was goading Hiei into summoning the dragon, but San knew it wouldn't happen again. Nevertheless, Hiei was powering up, getting ready to summon him. Idiot. Kurama explained to Kuwabara what this attack did to Hiei, but San already knew. She was seeing red and Kurama grabbed her arm, still talking as if nothing was happening. Hiei's attack was "Fist of the Mortal Flame!", a variation of the attack. It hurt Kuro, that was for sure.

"That doesn't look like a dragon," said Kuwabara.

"It's a related flame, but of the Ningenkai," said Kurama. Kuro was blown down to his knees. The attack wasn't nearly as effective as the Dragon, but San knew that Hiei couldn't summon the full dragon. Still, Hiei's mastery of any Darkness technique was impressive. San would not like to fight him any day. The battle continued, San and the others not knowing what to expect.

...

sorry guys, just wanted to keep you in suspense for a little bit longer :p, maybe the next chapter? ahaha aweeeeee i'm drunk :p

but thanks for reading and reviewing :D


	15. Akatsuki

"Fist of the Mortal Flame!" declared Hiei. Kuro Momotaru, his opponent had absorbed a steaming sphere. Each of these sphere's contained a different beast armor, this one was of the ape. San was angry about these, remembering that fateful day her brother died because of the hunters that came to take members of her clan. Her brother was included with them, the only real family she had left, and then, she was framed for his murder. It was because of these assholes that she was banished from her realm and sitting where she was today. She'd like nothing more than to rip his head off his shoulders. There was nothing she could do about the youki trapped inside those spheres, they were already dead, but at least this guy couldn't use them anymore.

-Kill him Hiei- San told him. Guaranteed he was going to read her mind to figure out why she wanted him dead so badly. Kurama held onto her arm, to stop her from jumping on stage if it was possible. Her anger was justified, but the match was worth their lives, and personal vendetta's had no place here. Hiei made contact with Kuro, knocking him back but not killing him. San growled.

"That didn't look like a dragon," said Kuwabara.

"It's a related flame, but of the human world," said Kurama.

"I decided why waste the flame of the underworld the likes of you when the more mundane one of the human world would suffice. Huh?" said Hiei. Kuro was laughing, and Hiei's jagan began to glow. This wasn't a good sign.

"I really had you going there for a second didn't I?" said Kuro, continuing to laugh as he stood. San gasped, "and now I've memorized this pain to!" he declared, taking another sphere and inhaling it. They watched as his body was transformed, looking like feathers, "Your little fist technique is completely useless against me, now that I'm protected by the second beast, the armor of the phoenix!"

"What a rip off! This guy's to chicken to stick around and fight in his own skin for a while!" yelled Kuwabara. San growled, every inch of her dripping with malice for this demon. She felt Kurama's hand tighten around her arm.

"Nicely put," said Kurama, watching the scene in front of him.

"If you thought my armor of the ape was bad ass, wait until you see the capabilities my new armor has!" said Kuro.

"Man, if Kuro keeps this up, we're finished," said Kuwabara.

"There are many variations of the darkness flame that Hiei can use. I just hope he thinks of the right one before it's too late," said San. She was angry, the whole sphere thing still bothering her greatly.

"We shall see..." trailed Kurama, putting his attention back to the ring.

"Hn. Colourful get up you've got there but it doesn't look so tough," said Hiei.

Kuro laughed, "Want to see what it can do?" and then he jumped into the air. He came down fast and punched Hiei's face. He was swift in his next move, punching him across the ring again. Hiei's next move was used on his agility. Kuro made for an attack, and Hiei dodged.

"Left yourself open. How about double fist of the mortal flame!" and he punched Kuro rapidly, trying to get a good kill in. Idiot. Kuro was steaming by the end of it looking like the attack had effected him. It didn't, and he laughed once more.

"What? How did that not work?" questioned Kuwabara, as Kuro lunged at Hiei. It was lucky that he was a fast one.

"Kuro's already memorized the fist of the mortal flame. Adding another one is just a waste of energy. He should have known that," explained San. Kurama was still holding her arm, but they both knew that if anything else were to happen she could easily break free of that. Even though it seemed his attention was on the fight, she knew that he was still keeping an eye out for her. Hiei was being kicked around... literally. It seemed Kuro really had a blood lust, and he would stop at nothing until Hiei was dead San was sure.

"You convinced yet? There's nothing you can do to beat me. You might as well stay on the ground and think of a nice way to beg," said Kuro.

"Never. You'll have to rip my limbs off to keep me down!" said Hiei, struggling to get up.

"Shouldn't give him anymore suggestions Hiei!" Kurama yelled to him.

"Yeah, that's a good way to get yourself killed!" said Kuwabara. San was growling again, it seemed that was all she did when it came down to these fights. Hiei was hurt, and she cared about him, this was besides the fact that the sphere's seemed to greatly disturbed her. What could he do? There was one last thing she could think of, but she wasn't sure if it would work.

"Too bad you can't call upon your little dragon. I'd like to show the world I can beat you even with a level playing field. But then again, it might just be fun to go all the way," said Kuro, tossing a sphere in his hand, "Prepare yourself, for the next Kuro Momotaru!" he said, squeezing another sphere and inhaling it, "I shall take great pleasure in killing you," but just as he was transforming San was angry. That scent... It was Akatsuki, her brother, he was the one who killed him! Even if he wasn't, he was still to pay for it! She growled, waiting for the smoke to clear and the transformation to be complete, "Now I'm protected by the third beast armor, the armor of the wolf!"

San was fighting with Kurama to let her go. Kuwabara had stepped in, trying to restrain her. She was going nuts, and Kurama couldn't blame her, but he didn't want to see her get hurt either. She had to get him, she had to kill him, there was no way he could live wearing the spirit of Akatsuki, she'd never allow him to get away with this! "LET GO!" she screamed, trying to break free. The two boys were having trouble, she was no wimp. She elbowed Kuwabara and head butted Kurama. She changed to her wolf form and had leaped towards the stage. Kurama tackled her to the ground, holding her head down and putting his weight on the rest of her body.

"Please San, have patience," he didn't sound frustrated.

-But he's my brother!" she wailed, struggling to get out from her imprisonment.

"I'm sorry, but he's already dead, and there's nothing you can do, you must let Hiei deal with this."

-He needs to be avenged Kurama, here is the proof that I did not kill him, and I was banished! I was framed! I lost everything because of this man!-

"My apologies San, but I cannot let you interfere with this fight."

-Listen to the fox. This fool has been pissing me off, but since I'm in a generous mood, I suppose I can kill him for you as well- Hiei interrupted them.

-Please Hiei. Kill him to the point of no return, kill his soul as well!- She replied to him, but he didn't answer, and she assumed that had started the fight. Kurama had never seen her freak out like this, and wasn't exactly sure how to react to it. She was banished for murder of her brother, that was the very same reason Moriko had to leave the wolf clan. Kurama could feel her energy burning, and he knew that she wasn't going to be held down for much longer. He was hoping that Hiei would find some way to finish off Kuro, before the whole stadium suffered the wrath of San.

"I'm a hell of a lot stronger than before, and as you can see I have a few sharp new toys on my hand that I'd love to share with you if you're in the mood to play!" every word. Every word that came out of his mouth made things worse, made her anger rise. How dare he? She struggled more, but Kurama would have none of that. She was at a disadvantage with her head forced to the ground. Sometimes being a wolf sucked, especially at times like these. She couldn't see the ring, so she didn't know what was going on. She decided to watch through Hiei, if he would allow that. She was lucky, he did, knowing she wanted to see this creature die. Hiei dodged a few attacks, getting his shirt clawed, "I promise I won't miss your flesh again, just give me a moment to get used to this body!"

"I've never known Hiei to back away from a challenger," said Kurama.

"Well he does have a lot of teeth," said Kuwabara, who was standing beside them. Hiei backed away and hit the broken sword with his foot.

-Hiei, use the sword with the darkness technique- San told him, knowing he had a good chance of winning with that. He didn't reply, merely kicked the sword up to his hand and caught it by the hilt.

"What the hell..."

Kuro was laughing, "Don't tell me the great Hiei is ready to quit."

"No you incompetent, but I will give you once chance to."

"That's very sporting of you, I think I'll pass however. Your memory isn't like mine so I'll give you a hint. If your sword didn't work on my first beast armor, it certainly won't work on the third."

"I know. I hate to use this attack. I find it totally devoid of taste or artistry."

"That's hard to believe, there's a move that's too barbaric for Hiei!" said Kuwabara.

"Then it's probably going to be very messy," said Kurama, using more force to restrain the wolf under him. Her body was vibrating with her growling, and he knew that she wasn't going to stay put much longer, not with the way her energy was flaring.

"Don't hold back on me because something's offensive. I'm no snob, I was planning a fairly vulgar move myself!" said Kuro, jumping up for his next attack. He was coming at Hiei, but San knew what was going to happen, it was her idea anyway. There was blood pouring out of Kuro, no one had seen it, no one except San and Hiei, maybe Kurama. Kuro's fangs were in Hiei's shoulder, but that was when the sword had shone its way through the corpse.

"I'm confused," said Kuwabara.

"Sword of the Darkness Flame!" bellowed Hiei. Slicing right through Kuro, satisfying San's blood lust. She stopped struggling, but Kurama didn't let up yet.

"What's, going on?" asked Kuwabara.

"Now I understand. Hiei did summon the darkness flame from the pits of Reikai," explained Kurama.

"I thought you said that was impossible because he'd be swallowed?"

"That's why he didn't use his arm. Hiei transferred his energy into his sword to lure the darkness flame, containing it apart from his body, he wasn't that strong. Hiei's weapon became powerful enough to pierce his armor. Kuro was dead before his teeth even sank in. Ingenious," Kurama concluded.

"I don't know about all this genius business, I mean, it's not all that different from my spirit sword and no one calls that genius. Hm?" it seemed Kuwabara had just thought of something. Brilliant, "Hey, wait a second, were you saying back there that my spirit sword didn't have any taste or artistry?"

"Hn. Of course I did," said Hiei, throwing the broken sword away.

"Okay! That's it!" Kuwabara let Hiei get to him so easily. Juri declared Hiei the winner. He walked to the sidelines once more, "Is that dead enough for you?" he asked San. Kurama had just realized he was still holding her back and he let her go. She changed back to her human form and nodded at Hiei.

"I'm sorry San, I hope I did not cause you any distress," Kurama apologized.

"No. I understand, it was just hard knowing everything I did," she replied.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Kuwabara.

"Don't worry about it. Get up there, the next match is about to start."

...

_She hunts in the forest near her den with a few clan members. She runs with her speed towards her prey. It is caught easily and she brings it back to the den. The King, her father is proud, as Yuriko, the princess brings her prey. She stands there with Akatsuki, her brother, who has been orphaned like she._

_"Moriko, Akatsuki, I'd like to welcome you to our family. You have both proven yourselves worthy," the King tells them. They bow in respect for receiving such an honour. Yuriko was like a sister to the Chie's, and that suites them just fine. They are sent to move into the King's part of the den, where rooms wait for them. The now three children share the room._

_"Moriko, what do you think will happen when the King dies now? I mean, what will happen to the crown?" her younger brothers asks._

_"Things like this do not matter Akatsuki. You and I will step down so that Yuriko can have her birth right, no matter if he chooses one of us," she replies, lying down._

_"You're right. You're always right. I wish mom and dad were still with us."_

_"As do I, but there is nothing we can do. They would pass on soon even if they were alive."_

_"Yes, but they wouldn't have missed the past few centuries."_

_"It was bound to happen."_

_"I can't imagine how amazing it would be to see the future."_

_"It is not nearly as pleasant as one would think. Now leave me alone, I'm going to sleep."_

_..._

_"Koishii, is it possible for you to tell me the outcome of our next raid?" he asks his beloved, as his arm pulls her towards him. They lay in her former den, the next target not being too far from where they sleep. The other pack members take refuge in other rooms, but they have her former room._

_"No Youko, I did not foresee anything of the sort," she tells him, snuggling into his neck. He plays with her ear without noticing._

_"Does it bother you to be here again?"_

_"Not at all. If it was not for this place, you would not be here with me."_

_"Agreed. It's a shame we had to bypass the last city."_

_"The plague is nothing to take your chances with. I know from experience."_

_"Explain beloved."_

_"Back in my home land, where the clan dwells, the plague hit us hard. My sister was a casualty, and my father was deathly ill. He lasted maybe two hundred years before he passed. My brother and I were lucky to have survived. It killed over half of the clan, and greatly injured many others. Some were left deformed, others lost their ability of sight, or hearing, making them unable to hunt. Since we work as one, we had to leave them behind, and find a new den. There may be a few survivors, formed their own clan, but I do not know, I was untouched by it. We only took my father because the new ruler was not yet decided, but he was still able to preform his duties until the last fifty years of his days. I do not wish to see this happen again Youko, that is why we must avoid it at all costs."_

_"I understand koishii. It is amazing how someone so beautiful can come from such turmoil. Your life has not been easy, but I hope I have played my part to try and make it better."_

_"Youko, you were the end of my misery. The events prior to you were indeed full of sorrow, but now I have you, and that makes up for all of it," she tells him, moving to look into his golden as eyes as she does so. He stares back into her tawny ones, and they kiss, celebrating the first time they had met, in her former den. She loved this fox, and she knew that he loved her just as much. Their love would last until the end of their days._

_..._

Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara stood in the center of the ring, waiting for Shishiwakamaru to roll the dice once more. This would decide the next match, and Hiei was already hurt. San knew that he didn't have much strength left, but he would retain it quickly. He was arrogant though, and if it came down to someone on the team not around, he would fight, despite what the other two said. She wished that a team member didn't have to be dead for her to fight, then they wouldn't have to worry about missing team members and her vendetta's that could get them disqualified. She didn't want that to happen, but she couldn't stop herself. Kuro may not be the one who killed her brother, that hunter could be anywhere, but the fact that he used the sphere's was a good enough reason for her to rip his head off. She was thankful that Hiei understood her rage, and that he let her watch as he dismantled the stupid beast. He wasn't that bad of an apparition, or so she thought.

"Come on, roll the dice again! I have an urge for three in a row!" declared Hiei. Shishi rolled the dice, the next match being determined. It was Kurama vs. Ura Urashima. This demon had basically no power, and it was a joke that he even be in the ring at all. Juri called the fight to begin. Ura twirled his fishing line, while Kurama began analyzing, wielding his rose whip. The two were even in skill, but San knew that Kurama was just trying to figure out the best way to beat his opponent. She thought it was kind of dumb, he could easily beat the weak apparition, yet he insisted upon doing things this way.

"Whoa. This is a fight!" Kuwabara observed.

"Hn. Kurama needs to stop fooling around and start fighting for real," said Hiei. San couldn't agree more.

"What? He's whip swinging like a maniac."

"Have you learned anything? It's Kurama obnoxious pattern. He never creates his own strategy until he fully understands his opponents," explained Hiei. San continued to watch. It seemed that neither opponent would break through the other one. Her ears picked up on something, at least, she thought it was her ears. It turned out Ura Urashima was a telepath.

-Kurama, keep fighting as you listen to me. I have a favour to ask- San heard the enemy talk to Kurama.

-Telepathic communication. I don't believe that's legal in the ring- was his reply.

-I beg of you, please kill me-

Kurama narrowed his eyes.

=Don't stop fighting or they'll get suspicious!-

-Why?-

-When I joined this team, I had no idea what I was getting into. I needed money to support my sick grandmother, and Shishwakamaru promised me riches. At first it was just stealing, which I knew was wrong, but then things got worse. They convinced me to do many things I'm not proud of. Though I know I have no one to blame but my own weak disposition. But I can't go on. For the first time in my life, I'm doing the right thing-

-Suicide is not the answer. There is neither honour nor redemption in that-

-You don't understand Kurama. If I don't kill you they're going to hurt my poor grandmother. But this guilt is too much for me to bear. As I watched my teammates fall today, I realized that being killed in battle is the only way out. Please take pity on my soul-

-I'll help you, but not by death, this world has enough of that. You can keep your life as long as you change the way you live it, believe me. As for your grandmother's well being, we can fake your death. I can sting you with my rose whip in a manner which will knock you out temporarily-

-You are indeed a good man Kurama-

-Don't do it- San told him when she was sure Ura Urashima was out of his mind.

-He asked me for help- Kurama replied to her, continuing to focus.

-He's full of shit, its a trap, he's playing on your kindness and you're giving in-

-I do not wish to take the chance- and Ura Urashima had begun to fumble, on purpose San noted. She was sure that he was bullshitting, there was no way that he was honest, she could tell. It was a nagging feeling that wouldn't leave her alone. Kurama was falling for it to, and she was really pissed off about how easy it was for him to trust others. Youko would never fall for such a stupid trap, and how she wished he would show himself. She was right, Kurama was getting ready and Ura Urashima simply played around it. San knew he was a faker, and she growled at him. The fucking idiot began to laugh.

"I studied your fighting and discovered that your only weakness was your kindness. In that regard, I suggest you change the way you live your life. But it's too late now! How did you put up with that goody two shoes crap? I had to choke back some major chunks while I was pretending, but boy does it feel good to be back again!" he explained. Kurama was glaring at the apparition, and he began to stand and then run from the fishing rod was was coming at him. He got to the edge and then San saw behind the plan, it was merely a distraction, "Come on Kurama, you didn't think I was really trying to hit you with those attacks did you? Hook, line and sinker, and you're the stupid fish. And before you get any ideas, know that my force field won't be easy to destroy. It's nearly impossible to break from the inside, so get comfortable, and let me introduce you to the Reverse Magic Box," the bastard continued on. San wished that Kurama would just shut him up, and liking the looks of the box in his hands, "Anybody other than the possessor who breaths its air will return to their younger years, the awkward teenage age, or even the terrible twos, you'll fall easier than ever!" he opened the box and smoke took over, not coming outside the dome he had created.

"Hey, why isn't that smoke coming towards us?" asked Kuwabara.

"Obviously you don't understand the meaning of force field," said Hiei. He didn't seem phased by the events going on. San was growling, feeling Kurama become weaker. His energy was weak and disappearing. Then, it was gone, completely. That was strange, but the next thing that happened was even weirder. There was a massive power surge, energy she had once felt before. She heard a laugh, one that she would never forget. She gasped, could it be? That scent...


	16. Death Tree

"The Reverse Magic Box!" the enemy, Ura Urashima spoke from somewhere inside the smoky dome. San wished that Kurama would just shut him up, and not liking the sounds of the box in his hands, "Anybody other than the possessor who breathes its air will return to their younger years, the awkward teenager, or even the terrible twos, you'll fall easier than ever!" he opened the box and smoke took over, not coming outside the dome he had created.

"Hey, why isn't that smoke coming towards us?" asked Kuwabara.

"Obviously you don't understand the meaning of force field," said Hiei. He didn't seem phased by the events going on. San was growling, feeling Kurama become weaker. His energy was weak and disappearing. Then, it was gone, completely. That was strange, but the next thing that happened was even weirder. There was a massive power surge, energy she had once felt before. She heard a laugh, one that she would never forget. She gasped, could it be? That scent... It was something she used to smell all the time, something she had been yearning to smell, and yet, she couldn't be sure. There was too much fog, she had to see, she didn't want to be lead under a false hope. She itched her left shoulder blade as she continued to stare at the fog, waiting for it to disperse.

"Do you feel that too?" Kuwabara asked Hiei. At least she wasn't the only one who felt it.

"I think perhaps I've progressed further than you intended, and just as I was coming to accept my human captivity," San picked up the familiar voice from the stage. The same smell, the same energy, the same voice... she still had to see it, there was no way to know for sure until she saw it. She was itching violently on her left shoulder blade as the energy grew. She wished the stupid force field wasn't there, then she could get rid of the fog.

"Youko the spirit fox, Youko the legendary bandit? What did you do with Kurama, I liked him a lot better!" Ura Urashima was right to fear her mate. She smiled, still itching at her shoulder. She looked, gasping when she saw claws on her finger nails.

"Oh he's here, he's me. Only now you've brought me out in full, thank you for that," San was still observing her hands. She felt on top of her head and ears were sticking out. Her tail was there to.

"Hn. It seems the power of your mate has brought you back to your true form as well," said Hiei. It was true, he looked shorter, her hair was no longer sun touched, just tawny, like her eyes. Kuwabara was staring at her while she continued to itch at her shoulder. It began to glow and she looked at it in shock. The mark, his mark, it appeared. Youko really was in there, her mate, her love... The one that she had been looking for this whole time... Where was he? And what happened to Kurama? If only she could _see_!

"There is no room for your fantasies of denial, little vermin. Be assured, I am alive!" she heard his voice, she could almost picture him in the fog, menacing over his enemy.

"But the stories all say your dead! You were caught! You were killed!" cried Ura Urashima.

"Yes. I'm so flattered you've heard of me. But as you can see, the stories were incorrect."

"It's like a thunder storm in there! Where's all that weird energy I'm feeling coming from?" questioned Kuwabara, clearly unprepared for the awesome power of her mate. It gave her power, it brought his mark back to the surface, where it belonged.

"Ha! It's all Kurama, down to the last drop!" answered Hiei.

"But, it's different somehow, and a heck of a lot more powerful."

"Seems that fool he's been fighting has turned him back into his demon form, before he was tainted by you humans."

"What?"

"Fifteen years ago, the spirit fox Youko Kurama and his mate Moriko Chie were thought to have been killed by a burglary gone wrong. In desperation they escaped to your world. She presumably fell to her death, but he hid himself, using a human body to slowly recover his energy. He thought no one would find him. I did. Now, we'll see what the purest form of Kurama can do."

"So wait, Kurama is really this Youko person? But you said his mate presumably fell to her death, what happened to her?"

"Idiot, she's standing right beside me."

"That's Moriko? So you hid inside a human to?"

"Not exactly..." she trailed, not really interested in talking. She was more focused on the fight, the energy, the scent, the voice, the fog that just wouldn't disappear. He was there, he was there! And she couldn't do anything about it, she was stuck on the outside. So close and yet, so far. She strained her ears to hear everything that was happening, trying to create a mental picture for herself, to try and be there with him. Youko...

-Youko, you're here!- she tried to speak to him with her telepathy. It was no use, she wasn't getting a response.

"Let's see. How best shall I deal with my prey?" he was as menacing as ever. There was a scent, one that she knew instantly. How very Youko of him to use this plant, "Each branch of this tree has a mouth, and each mouth of the branch has saliva that will melt your bones in under a minute. The pain will make every second feel like it's eternity to you. I never take anything in battle personally you realize, it's only that I do not stand for trespassers and that my death tree enjoys a good meal."

Ura Urashima was screaming throughout the whole explanation, "Please help me!" he cried, knowing that he didn't stand a chance, "I'll do anything you ask me to, I'll fight for your team. Please, don't kill me."

"Tell me the secret of the Reverse Magic box."

"I don't know anything about that. I just took what they gave me! Ask Shishi, he's the only one who knows!"

"I can smell when you're lying. It makes my tree want to eat you more."

"Okay, I'll tell you everything! It's Onji, him and Shishiwakamaru, they came to us and said they'd give us anything if we fought. I'm not even Ura Urashima! We were all together, Makintaru, Kuro and me. They came to us and they gave us special items and said we can all be high class like them. That's not all! I can tell you who really gave us all the items!" but after all of that Ura Urashiima screamed, and Moriko could smell the plant disappearing.

"Just a lower class beast. Always the easiest of pawns."

"The smoke's going away," announced Kuwabara. Moriko could see a silhouette, it really was him. It looked like Shishi had killed his own teammate. And there stood Youko, just as she remembered him. His silver hair and tails blew in the wind as he stood tall, staring at the corpse of his opponent. His golden eyes showed no emotion, but that was to be expected, since something he was after was taken away. Her ears twitched when Koto began to talk.

"Hold the microphone, I've just seen my personal fantasy! Sexy ears, dreamy tails, who is this love god?" and Moriko bolted over there in an instant, scaring the poor girl. She grabbed her by the tie and pulled her down.

"I suggest you watch the next words that come out of your mouth," Moriko threatened. Koto laughed nervously. Moriko turned her attention back to her mate.

"Kurama is as he should be," said Hiei. Moriko watched as he began to glow, feeling his and her energy become weaker.

"Looks like my time on the outside is short. Don't ruin this, Shuuichi," and he was starting to disappear.

"Youko!" Moriko called after him, noticing her voice was slightly that of San.

"Beloved?" but then he was gone, and Kurama was left standing in his place. San dropped to her knees, he saw her right? She was a human again, her powers disappearing with her mates. But he was alive!

"I can't explain it, my silver haired hunk has transformed into a sadly tailless Kurama. My whole weekend is ruined now," said Koto. San growled and pulled the girl by her tie one last time.

"Say another word about my mate and I will rip you to shreds!" she threatened. Koto laughed nervously yet again.

"Sorry, I-I take it back, please don't hurt me!"

"San!" Hiei yelled at her. Juri announced Kurama as the winner and San snapped her attention back. All this time, he was here, locked inside this boy she had befriended. She looked and just as she suspected, the mark on her shoulder blade remained. She walked up to the red head, who seemed distracted. She still couldn't believe it, but knew it to be true. There was no other explanation, she had finally found him! But why hadn't he noticed her before? She made her human appearance as close to her demon one, so that he could find her easier, and yet... he didn't notice? Or had he? Was he playing a game with her? No, there was no way, or she was sure he would've looked towards her, knowing that she would be there. She decided to wait until after the battle to speak with him about this, knowing that now was not the time. Shishiwakamaru jumped into the ring, looking like he was ready to roll those blasted dice again. He rolled the dice and it was him fighting with a free space. She wondered who would be the one to fight him, and stared at the other three.

"About time I took control. Now, which one of you lovely fighters do I get to beat?" said Shishi, stepping forward. Some high pitched scream was piercing San's ears. She looked around and couldn't believe he had a fan club. He was ugly!

"Hey why doesn't someone cheer for me okay! A real man's attractive cause he's tough, not cause of charming good looks," said Kuwabara, obviously annoyed by their actions. Either that or he was jealous. San could never be sure with this one.

"Yes you, with the inferior face," said Shishi, pointing at Kuwabara.

"Huh? You mean this one?"

"Well of course, who else would I mean? You must be bored as a side show freak, why don't you come fight?"

"I'll show you pretty boy!" said Kuwabara, running towards the ring.

"Hn."

"Seems Shishi's struck a sensitive core," said Kurama. San looked at him, observing, looking for the traces of Youko that she could have missed. He stared back at her, which was unexpected. He looked almost curious as he looked into her tawny eyes.

_-I am certain I saw her Shuuichi, heard her voice- _Youko spoke as he watched the tawny eyes.

-I felt it as well-

_-We need to find out how the box works, fight again- _but Kurama turned his attention back to the ring as Kuwabara had fallen down trying to get up there.

"Let me handle this, Shishiwakamaru appears to be their strongest fighter," said Hiei.

"No, I'll fight him. Onji could be unpredictable. Recover your powers for the final match," said Kurama. For once, San was hoping he would fight again.

"You know all you're deciding is the order of defeat," said Shishi, but no one was listening to him.

"Kurama, it's obvious you only want to fight him so that you can learn the secrets of that age reversal. We can't let priorities rank above victory. You let me fight," said Hiei.

"Why are you even talking about it? This Shishiwakamaru punk just insulted me, he's all mine!" declared Kuwabara.

"I will take this fight," said Hiei.

"No, it is mine," said Kurama.

"I'm fighting him!" said Kuwabara. Men.

"Perhaps this can only be decided with a game of janken."

"Oh yeah, bring it on! I'm a rock, paper scissors master!" said Kuwabara.

"Janken? What the hell is that?" ironically Hiei and San said that at the very same time.

"Gee, you two really didn't have a child hood huh?"

"I pursue strength, I do not have time for your trivial-"

"It's a human game," Kurama interrupted, "Scissors is beat by rock, rock is beat by paper, and paper by scissors," he explained, showing with his hands what to do.

"Hn, pitifully simple."

"So, you ready to get beat?" Kuwabara was arrogant.

"Try me."

"Oh, never played before and he's already cocky. First timers can only use rock by the way."

"Don't listen to him. He's pulling your leg," said Kurama. They began, laying down their choice and Kuwabara taking the win it looked like. Until Hiei told him he was slightly slower than the other two. He would know too. So they went at it again. Draw, and it continued to be one for the next five or so minutes. Men. Finally, Kuwabara was the winner. San was impressed. She couldn't believe her fate rested with these people.

"I've won every single game of janken I've ever played, and now I'm going to win against you!" said Kuwabara to Shishiwakamaru.

"Just get yourself in the ring," he replied, eager to begin battle.

"Yeah, you go ahead ladies, scream all you want! I don't need your stinkin' support! I've already got the best fan in the world, and as long as she's watching, I'm invincible."

"Let's get started my defective friend, I've got fame to achieve," said Shishi, probably annoyed with the way Kuwabara kept yelling at the fan girls in the audience. San found it retarded how he had to make a big issue to them. So what if they didn't like you?

"Oh that is so it! You are totally going down! Spirit Sword!" Kuwabara charged at Shishi, making a slash, but San knew that wouldn't work. He was basically attacking in blind rage, making it easy to dodge everything he was throwing at Shishi.

"Shishi can read his every maneuver," said Kurama. Wait, didn't she just point that out? Kuwabara continued to slash at Shishi, not making any contact. San wondered what the enemy was waiting for, him and his stupid veil. She wondered if this guy was gay, but then again, perhaps not. That thing must be around for a reason, and she had a feeling it's power was not something she'd ever like to experience. So far this team has come up with some pretty nifty items, and they were not anything like she had seen before. San tried to hold back a laugh when Shishi had used Kuwabara's head to boost himself away from the fighter.

"That's it, my head as a trampoline is where I draw the line!" and he charged him again, missing like always. Shishi jumped into the air and threw that veil at him. It wrapped itself around Kuwabara, and San could feel him fading, "I'm not ugly okay!" were the last things he cried before he vanished completely.

"Nice last words," commented Hiei.

"I've lost all trace of him, it's as if he ceased to exist," said Kurama. The fan club went nuts when Juri declared the winner. It seemed as if the demon girls were no better than the human ones. And here most demons thought they were superior to humans, they seemed nearly the same. Shishi continued on, rolling the dice. They got a free space, Shishi fighting once more, and the masked fighter was to go on, Genkai.

"I'll be happy to go again. How about yourself?" asked Shishi from the ring.

"I said from the start I would be the substitute. I just didn't know it would be this much fun, assuming you don't mind... Kurama," and Hiei took a step forward, but Genkai stopped him. She was weak, San didn't even feel her come around. Yusuke must have completed his training, which would be why she felt so weak, her energy not even close to what it used to be. San knew she was still capable of fighting, but she'd have to be really careful about her power, since she barely had any, "Just who the hell are you? I hope you don't expect me to believe you are the same masked fighter who was on our team before you impostor. She had tremendous power, you're just a weakling."

"Yusuke has it now," she replied to him. San didn't expect Hiei or Kurama to understand what she was talking about. But that was fine, that meant they would soon learn the true power of Genkai, as it was back in the proper state. San was happy that Yusuke didn't die, and that this old woman was still alive. The sad part was coming soon, and she hoped to holy hell that it wouldn't happen. There had to be something she could do, a variable that would change the outcome.

"How very disappointing, I wanted a good match. I can feel your fragility from here. Although... I don't know who you are. What do you say we remove that little mask?" said Shishi, unsheathing his sword and preparing for battle. Shishi charged at her, he was faster than San thought, but Genkai dodged them, every last one. Those who knew her would have noticed that she was weaker just by watching her fight him. It was sad, but necessary, the goal of her life, to keep her power alive. She was ready to die and that made San very sad. This old woman had somehow felt like family, and was until recently the pack leader. That power was now with Yusuke, but Genkai was still important to San, "You seemed to have lost a great deal of strength since I last saw you fight. But more importantly, the intrigue of your identity is stealing my spotlight!" said Shishi, slicing away at her mask. Gankai dropped to the ground, just as San had first seen her. She heard Kurama gasp, and the crowd was protesting. San didn't understand how they couldn't figure this out. With her orb, she was able to return to her most powerful state, without it, she remains as she is. Idiots, "Hopefully I don't need to tell you that's a different person. Their team is obviously using that mask to sneak additional players in to fight," said Shishi to Juri.

"Uh, and that's against the rules right?" wow she was stupid.

"This woman is not the team's substitute, the cute blond over there is. This is cheating, and until proven otherwise, I will be forced to ask for this teams disqualification." San was not expecting that. She looked at Kurama, noticing his stare was kind of icy. She smiled, maybe Youko did notice her before he vanished. The crowd was demanding that they all be killed, while the committee had put up a replay of the first time Genkai was revealed. Koto said they would review it and the fight would be paused in order to make a decision. It didn't take long. They allowed the fight to continue, despite the audience's disagreement. Shishi was not happy about this either, continuing to protest. That's when _he_ stepped in.

"That isn't very polite," began Toguro, "Team Urameshi did not cheat. I wanted you all to know that. To understand why, you merely have to know who that woman is. While employing that technique she's so fond of, the body of the user does a most impressive thing. It's cells return to the moment to when they were strongest. The young girl you saw before and the old woman there now are the same person. The human psychic who created the Spirit Wave. It's been such a long time since we've talked hasn't it? Genkai..." he concluded.

The crowd burst out with whispers. None of them seemed to believe that she was really here. Toguro walked away. San watched him, he stood with the rest of his team, that meant Karasu. She could feel his eyes on her, and she pulled Kurama to hide herself. He was startled, but then looked in the same direction she did. Toguro. She had spoken before about a terrible fate that rested in their victory. He was ashamed to admit he finally noticed her again since Shishi's comment. He was so focused on Youko and releasing him again. San observed the team from her one eye. Those evil eyes struck fear into the deepest pits of her heart, but she pushed it aside as best as she could and observed the rest of the team. There stood the elder Toguro, a man in really heavy looking armor, and another man she did not recognize. Karasu was standing beside him, they were relatively the same height. He had short aqua hair and piercing red eyes. He wasn't very big, but San knew he would probably be a problem. Kurama put an arm around her, and San noticed she was shaking. She tore her eyes away, and put her attention back on the fight.

"You're the renown psychic Genkai, so fate smiles on me after all. I won't have to wait for Toguro before I get my celebrity. You seem like just an old woman to me, but your name is known by nearly every apparition and now I will be famous too, as the one who killed you! I won't dally around with you anymore, I'll need to give the appropriate death," said Shishi, as he unsheathed his sword. The hilt began to break apart.

"That weapon..." trailed Kurama. It looked gross, almost like a brainy zombie thing. It had a face, but barely, the mouth and eyes were just black.

"The Banshee Shriek, I think it's such a lovely name for a sword," said Shishi, "It has the power to beckon lost demon souls into the ring with us," he explained, making a circle around himself. San didn't like the sounds or looks of this. He brought it back up to his hand and it started glowing red, "It should be the perfect way to make myself a reputation."

"I've seen a sword like that before and I don't believe he understands the danger of it. It has more power than he does," said Kurama. His arm was still around her and she found that to be nice. It had been a while since she had any physical contact. Genkai took a fighting stance, getting ready for the next attack. San watched, hoping that everything would be alright. Karasu's eyes on her didn't help, but she did her best to put that out of her mind. Kurama knew that this girl cared a great deal for Genkai, but she was still tense about Team Toguro. Not only that, Youko believed that he had seen Moriko, that she was still alive. Things were getting intense, and the two of them were sure it would all come to a close on the final match, if they survived to see it.

...

and there you have it. thanks for reading and reviewing :)


	17. Genkai

San was impressed. Genkai was truly something, this was the first she had seen her fight. Shishiwakamaru's powers all belonged to her, and she defeated him easily, with the Spirit Deflection Blast, something Genkai had went through great lengths to teach at her young human age. San also knew the secrets of borrowing powers. It seemed that Genkai split her training in two, the bulk of it for Yusuke, but the rest of the knowledge flowing through San. Shishi was defeated, and Onji remained. He rolled the die for the Urameshi team, and it landed on Kuwabara, who had somehow managed to return. He was attacking stupidly like he had done with Shishi before, not making any contact with his sword. San wondered if all the training had miraculously disappeared from his thick skull.

"San, here is a test," said Genkai. San looked at her curiously, "Tell me with your mind what is off about this Onji," and San observed the old man. She watched him, knowing that his energy was greater than he was letting on, but there had to be something else, something that Genkai could see but none of the others could, "Hurry up slacker! You would be dead by now if you took this long," Genkai urged. Kurama was staring at the two, trying to figure out the relationship between them, and what exactly the old woman was talking about. Onji had created a black ball, and it was slowly drifting towards Kuwabara.

-It's a mask- San told Genkai, as Kuwabara stood there for a moment.

"Don't do it Kuwabara," said Kurama.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" and he charged right into the ball. Idiot. It trapped him inside.

"I can't believe he walked right into that trap on his own," said Kurama.

"He is a first class fool," said Hiei.

"Agreed. A fool and a moron," said Genkai.

"Don't worry, this is going to feel something like Shishiwakamaru's cape of no return, you do remember what that was like don't you? After that wasn't too long ago and it's tough to forget the feeling of being transported through a different dimension. Shishi required the piece of cloth I gave him to preform this technique, but since I invented it, I don't need any props," explained Onji, raising the ball, "The other members of my team were merely pillars so I could enter the tournament, but they never amounted to anything without me and my gifts. The steaming spheres, the reverse magic box, the banshee shriek, all specially tailored by little old me," and Kuwabara disappeared. The three fighters walked onto the ring and stood in front of Onji, waiting for the die to roll and the next battle to begin, "Let's see who I'll have the pleasure of humiliating next, I've got a good feeling it's going to be you," said Onji, pulling out the die and pointing at Kurama, "Now I know all the secrets of the reverse magic box and I can turn you into whatever state I want, so sorry, you'll just have to fight me in your human form."

"Presumptive, considering you haven't yet rolled," replied Kurama. Onji dropped the die, and it landed on Genkai. Perfect. If Genkai could see through his mask and no one else did, or she San thought, then she was the perfect person to fight him. Hiei and Kurama returned to the side, while Genkai stepped in front of Onji.

"So it's the young masked warrior's turn to meet her doom. Isn't this a riot, the battle of the elderly," said Onji, laughing.

"Why don't you drop the tired act and lose the disguise? You won't be fooling anyone else with that crappy mask," she replied. That was definitely unexpected from the rest of them.

"Disguise?" questioned Kurama. But then he looked at San, "Was that your test earlier?"

She nodded, focusing on Genkai.

"I don't know who you are, but you're no old man, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm not he kind of person that will underestimate you because of false age."

"You've got a pretty sharp eye there for such an ugly wart passed its prime body. You're the first to notice. I even masked my own energy. You see, disguise is one of my favourite hobbies," said Onji, ripping a part of his bogus face off, "To be brutally honest, there are few things I find more repulsive about old people. That moth ball smell that hovers around them makes me absolutely retch. That's why I chose this get up, I thought wearing the skin of something I hate would all the more fuel my rage!" and then Onji looked like he blew up. He turned into... a clown? A clown? This was his true form? For real? San could not believe this was what really lied underneath the mask. He was better off as an old man, at least then he didn't look stupid, "Yes, free at last! A few more minutes smothered under that mask and I might have got real wrinkles. You see I plan to die before showing any signs of aging. This is my fate, it's the price that artists have to pay. My image is my greatest master piece and so I live on. I must rely on all of you to witness my art to recount to the other generations and to keep me alive. So never forget me ladies and gentlemen, the master of a thousand faces and a thousand tricks, the beautiful Suzuka!" he finished his speech laughing.

"Of course I hate to ruin a piece of art Suzuka, but I have no hold ups with you. You're a piece of trash," said Genkai.

"You must never refer to me with my proper name without placing beautiful in front of it or you won't live to repeat your mistake! Beautiful is a word made just for me, and we two shall never part."

"Fruit cake."

"This idiot makes Kuwabara seem smart," commented Hiei.

"I admit, I'm embarrassed listening to him," said Kurama.

"I feel like I'm getting stupider by the second," added San.

"Stupider isn't a word."

"Point proven," she stated, turning her attention back to the fight.

Suzuka kept laughing while Koto was talking. She explained that Onji had transformed into Suzuka, and then he threw a card at her. It would've easily killed her if she hadn't dodged just in time. It landed in a lesser demon, right between the eyes, and he started spewing blood.

"I've already told you to put a beautiful in front of my name. It's very important," he said, pointing at her.

"For somebody who wants to be known by the world, you sure hide behind a lot of masks. You must be compensating for something," said Genkai.

"The greatest legends are all shrouded in ambiguity. It seems the imagination is more captivated by the unknown. People are simply more inclined to built up in their own minds that which they cannot see or which have multiple incarnations. Look at how they fear the devil and revere god. With mystery comes colossal power. And that power will be mine! In a thousand years people will worship me and each will have a unique vision. One will say the beautiful Suzuka, he looked like this, or he looked like that, no like this, like this! And each vision will be grander than the last and I live in their minds forever!"

"I don't get what's so funny?" said Hiei.

"I thought clowns made everybody else laugh," said Kurama.

"Let it be sung throughout the land that upon my victory of this tournament I'll first eradicate the elderly from this world, in honor of the soon to be late Genkai. And then I shall strike down all who refuse to worship me, the beautiful Suzuka. And that as they say shall be that!" Suzuka continued. San was getting really annoyed, she wished Genkai would just take care of him already. The crowd didn't even like him, and that was surprising. He shot an energy blast near Botan and Shizuru, wiping out a chunk of the audience.

"For once their showing taste," said Hiei.

"I guess I've fired them up," said Suzuka, continuing to laugh.

"Genkai! Just get rid of him already!" San yelled to her mentor.

"Patience San," was her reply.

Juri declared the fight to begin, and it was about time. Suzuka was powering up, getting ready to make an attack. He was powerful, that was for sure, but San wasn't worried, and neither was Genkai. He unleashed his attack, a very colourful one. Figures. It made it's way towards the old woman, and knocked her all the way to the edge of the stands, destroying the wall. San smirked, wondering if Kurama and Hiei had caught her move before she was hit. Probably not, they wouldn't know what to look for. He continued to laugh, talking some more, but San didn't care about that. Juri began her count, and as the smoke cleared, Genkai was standing there as if nothing happened. She jumped back into the ring.

"Forgive me if I'm not impressed," said Suzuka.

"I know you play by higher standards, but at least give me credit for the nose," said Genkai. He looked, and then gasped, not believing what he saw. She twirled his fake nose on her finger, "If I had more time I would've taken that big ugly grin off your face to."

"Naturally my eyes could follow every inch of Genkai's movement," said Kurama.

"I saw the whole thing to," said Hiei.

"Whatever you guys need to tell yourselves to fall asleep at night," San smirked at them. But unexpectedly, Kuwabara had shown up.

"Kuwabara!" said Kurama.

"Hn. And only 500 seconds too late to matter," said Hiei.

"Hey, where's that guy I was fighting? I wasn't done yet!" said Kuwabara, out of breath.

"So which is more humiliating? Losing to an old man or to a clown?" San laughed at the question.

"A clown, definitely worse to a clown," was his response. Kurama looked nervous, not really believing Hiei would do that. Genkai threw the nose at Suzuka.

"You lost a nose, who cares? I've ripped off vital organs that are real," she said.

"But I feel so naked without it!" replied Suzuka.

"Stop your whining you joker. I put my whole body threw hell to make it strong enough for my Spirit Wave Orb, and your crying about some nazel accessory? You're not a real fighter, I sure as hell won't waste what little spirit energy I have on your half assed routine," and she took a fighting stance, one that didn't stand still. San knew of this, it was how she began training, the most basic of it, "Why it won't take more than these two bare wrinkled fists to wipe that make up off your face and onto the concrete right next to your rubber nose so come on kiddo! No matter what you throw, I promise to use nothing but my muscles to pound the beauty out of you."

"I'm not scared of an old lady! If you're not going to use your spirit power than neither will I!" declared Suzuka, "Toguro's got nothing on me!" and he flexed, his shirt coming off. Ew. "Will you just look at these magnificent washboard abs. Watch me now as I rhythmically flex my pecks!" wow, did he ever shut up about himself?

"Let me tell you what your problem is Suzuka."

"Excuse me?"

"Admittedly, you have talent. You helped scrounge up a team of third rate demons and found weapons suitable enough to get them to the semi finals. You know more about arsenals and techniques than anyone I've met. But like a true idiot you forgot about your strength! You're nothing but surface, a suited up car without an engine to move it. You're even weaker than your front man," Genkai concluded, achieving what she desired. He attacked in blind rage, and it didn't take long for the fight to be over. He didn't even land one hit, she used every ounce of her speed and pummeled him around the ring, practically breaking his back.

"Wow, she's amazing!" declared Kuwabara. San smirked.

"And the fact that he's substandard doesn't help much," said Kurama. It made him think about the training San must have endured. Yusuke as well, they were both students of Genkai, and they must have learned most of her abilities. Genkai continued her beatings on Suzuka, rapidly punching him.

"You just don't have what it takes! That's enough," she yelled, stopping her assault on him, "Oh I forgot to look at that so called beautiful face," and boy was it evil looking. She beat him up really good. He fell to the ground, and Juri declared Genkai the winner. That was it, they were done, moving onto the finals. San was worried about the finals, about the younger Toguro and Genkai, and about Karasu. San left with Hiei and Kurama. She felt she had to be with them, and the old woman they were looking for was near. They were standing in the halls of this new stadium. The three demons stared at the old woman, waiting for her to speak.

"San, Kurama, Hiei, watch team Toguro's fights closely, we'll need a win from each of you," she told them.

"I won't need to if you just don't bother with your stupid schedule," replied San.

"You're fighting the next battle San, so deal with it. There's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Yes there is and you know it. You also know that you don't have to go through with this, you can just forget it and continue on."

"Enough! If I see you at anytime before the match is over, I will kill you myself!" said Genkai.

"I'm just not ready for him yet!"

"You don't have a choice," Genkai told her. Kurama watched them, not understanding the bond that ran through them. He wondered what they were talking about, but knew that he should listen to Genkai, and knew that San wouldn't disobey her. She was pack leader, and San was a wolf, this meant a lot to her, "Now come with me, there's one last thing I must show you for you to complete your training," and the two of them walked off.

...

Kurama stood with the crowd as the next match was going to begin. The winners of this match would face his team in the finals, and there was no doubt in his mind that Team Toguro would win. San was there with him, under Genkai's orders. Kurama could tell that she was more powerful than earlier, having completed her training under Genkai. He wondered about the words exchanged between the two of them, but knew he wouldn't get his answer if he even bothered to ask. He was brought out of his thoughts when San hid behind his shoulder, slightly pulling him in front of her. She was still able to see, but she just felt better with Kurama right there. He looked at her with those evil eyes, Karasu, fighting first. It was this green goblin looking apparition he was facing, and San felt sorry for him, knowing that he was going to die in a few minutes.

The apparition's attack missed Karasu, and the acid of it melted the members of the audience. Karasu walked casually towards his prey, and jumped with speed towards his enemy. He touched his shoulder, and then it exploded. His other arm was next and then finally, the rest of the body. Karasu stood and stared directly at San, and the fear returned. She hid completely behind Kurama, and he felt her tremble. It was this one she was afraid of, but why? Bui was the next to fight, and he finished his match quickly. The elder Toguro fought the remaining three at the same time. It was no challenge. He killed them all easily, by extending parts of his body. Kurama was trying to figure out how he could beat them, especially in his human form. The match was over, and the two of them walked away. They were walking towards the exit in the hallway, and ran into two of team Toguro's members. Bui and Karasu stood in front of them. San gasped, he was so close.

"You two are the only ones who watched. Your team must be very confident," said Karasu.

"Either that or in denial," said Kurama.

"Yes, accepting the truth would be easier. The finals will come and the four of you will die."

"Just four?"

"Yes, of course. One of you dies today," said Karasu. Bui drew their attention by bashing his huge fist into the wall. San looked and Karasu had disappeared. They gasped, he was fast. San gasped again, Karasu had appeared behind Kurama, hands just about to touch his neck.

"Your hair is a bit damaged Kurama, human bodies are so frail. I know you fear what my touch can do to you, and yet, maybe you also want to know it," said Karasu.

"Get away!" he spoke in a cold voice. But San was faster, sending an energy blast his way, knowing it would miss Kurama. Karasu jumped out of the way.

"Don't think I forgot about you, my Queen," he was standing in front of her. She was frozen, as he used his thumb and index finger to hold her chin up to look into his evil eyes, "It has been years since our last meeting. I'm sure you know once your team is defeated, I will be claiming you as my prize. I was impressed you managed to escape me last time, but I can assure you..." and he brought his lips close to her ear, the mask making no difference, "...this time there will be no escape," he whispered. Kurama could see her trembling, and the urge to protect her kicked in.

"Unhand her at once!" he spoke. Karasu used his agility and stood beside Bui once more.

"No need to get upset, it's just a game. As a fighter, I like you best Kurama. And when I like something, I like to take it away, with the exception of the Queen here. It's just coincidence that you happen to be the thing standing in my way to get to her. I should have known that you were the mate that had such a hold on her."

"What do you mean?"

Karasu laughed, "She never told you, how like a woman she is. Save your fight for me, okay?" and the two of them walked away. San was still shaking as she watched them go. Kurama was angry, knowing he had to revert to his demon form in order to win, but not knowing how. He looked over at San. Her mate? Him? But that would make her Moriko, and she was presumed dead. Youko had sworn to see her yet, this was just San. And she was upset. Kurama walked over to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. She snapped out of it and stared at him. She was scared, fear took over her tawny eyes.

"I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, San," he told her, even though he wasn't exactly sure how he was going to do that. Tears fell from her eyes and she latched onto him. She was still shaking, it was uncontrollable. Kurama held her, liking the feeling of her body against him. Now was not the time for impure thoughts, she was mated, and he had higher priorities to attend to. He kept an arm around her as they left the stadium.

He didn't return to the hotel, but found a clearing in the forest. He sat down, bringing her with him. She seemed to be in a trance, and he didn't quite blame her. He was working out a way to beat Karasu, going through various scenario's in his mind, trying to get them all to work. He wasn't sure on how much time had passed, but San suddenly snapped out of her trance. There was a massive power surge and Kurama tuned into it. San turned into her wolf form and took off at demon speed, towards the power surge Kurama was sure. He didn't follow her, he wasn't sure he was supposed to. He felt it then, Genkai, she was dead. Her power had disappeared completely, she was no more. That's where San was headed. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard a long sorrowful howl. He decided to follow the sound.

...

San had to get there, she had to do something to heal Gankai. She was sure she would be able to heal the old woman. She ran, as fast as she could. The energy was getting weaker. She wasn't even half way there yet, she pushed herself harder. Genkai knew this was going to happen, she knew that San had a vision about it. Toguro's power nearly knocked San off her feet from where she was, miles away. Genkai was in terrible danger with that much force, and she was nearly dead. She could smell Yusuke, which meant that he was there with her, but he was useless, no healing power. Stupid old woman and her stupid I'm ready to die bullshit. San stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't feel her anymore, she was gone.

She had died. She teared in her wolf form, and let out a thunderous yet sorrowful howl. Damn it, she could have been there earlier, if she wasn't so afraid of Karasu, if she didn't completely shut down after seeing him. This wouldn't have happened. She breathed in and howled once more, hoping that her mentor could hear her. Her howl died, but continued to echo throughout the forest. She heard footsteps from behind her, and then could smell Kurama. He didn't say anything, just stood beside her, looking down with pity.

He didn't know exactly what the past fifteen years were like for the two. He knew that San and Genkai were close, it was easy to tell, but there was nothing he could say to the girl that would make her feel any better about this. The only thing he knew was how angry San was going to be in two days, when the finals would commence. He was hoping she would recover by then, because now, she had to fight. San must have known that Genkai was the masked fighter all along, and Genkai would have known that she would die. San knew as well, she tried to stop the woman earlier. The two of them must have worked this out months ago, without Yusuke's knowledge. That only proved the bond they shared, which was surprising, given Genkai's reputation towards demons. Even preparing for such a thing didn't make the pain any less, because there was that underlying hope that these events wouldn't occur.

-I'm leaving now. I will come find you later- San told Kurama. She needed to run, to hunt, to do something. She looked into his green orbs, happy that he had followed her. They were friends, good friends from what she could tell. He nodded at her, and then she took off. Kurama watched after her, knowing that she could handle any threat that came her way. If Karasu wanted her, he could have taken her at any time, and that seemed to be her only fear. The fox headed back to his clearing, where he continued to ponder how he would beat his next opponent.


	18. Suzuka's Gifts

_She walks with the old woman, away from the stadium. She knows what is to come, but cannot bear to let it happen. The pink haired woman takes them to the forest, where they walk for miles it seems like. There isn't much time, the next fight begins shortly. She is not happy with these circumstances, but knows there is no way to stop them. The old woman stops near a cave, one that she feels tremendous power around. This is where it will happen, where another pupil not too long ago completed training. She is hesitant about this, knowing that if she accepts, the old woman dies. She has no choice, she must accept, for there is no other way. She stands in front of her saviour, her mentor, and waits._

_"San, you were ready for this ages ago, but I had to wait until Yusuke could accept my spirit wave orb. He has it now, and will have a good chance of defeating Toguro," she finally speaks, "There is a member on their team, related to Bui, but that is hardly relevant. His name is Wakato. Toguro saw you were my replacement fighter and ask specifically for this demon. I'm sure you'll find out why when you fight him. Another thing, you won't be able to change into a wolf for this fight, you'll have to fight as you are now. As it stands now, you might have a chance, but since you still have to go and confront Kurama, I need to keep you alive. This is my gift to you," the old woman informs her. She wonders what relevance this is, but appreciates what the old woman does for her, "Create an orb, basing the power off of the spirit deflection blast," the woman instructs. She does as she is told, focusing energy into her hands, the last thing she learned, the spirit deflection blast. The old woman mimics her, and adds the power onto the orb already in her hands. It grows, and she can barely contain it, "Now, absorb the power. This is the last of my power, the rest is with Yusuke. You'll handle it better, it won't be a problem," and she does as she is told. The orb disappears into her body, and she feels the strength flowing through her._

_"You fell onto my doorstep fifteen years ago. I knew you were a demon, but you weren't a threat. I'm old San, you knew my fate before I did. I didn't think I'd be babysitting a demon for so long, I was going to release you into the wild, but I didn't. It took eight years to get you into your human form, but here you are. You're not powerful enough to return to your demon form, but once I knew who you were, I knew your story, and knew that as a wolf, you would respect me, being your pack leader. You have found your mate, and my authority won't matter anymore. Yusuke is your leader now, you must obey him, continuing as long as you survive with him. If he loses and Karasu is still alive, well, we already know the ending to that one. Wakato will do his best to injure you. All this aside, I suppose it's time to say good bye now. You won't see me after this. You have completed your training, that is my gift to you. What I neglected to tell you until now is that you have miraculously restored some of the faith I have in demons and humans. Kurama and Hiei, I wouldn't have thought much of the two of them if it wasn't for you. I saved your life, and I know that's why you are so loyal to me. I use the last of my authority to tell you to stay out of my affairs. You were close to a daughter to me San, and I would hate to see you in Reikai when your so close to your destiny."_

_She tears, "Genkai..."_

_"Don't blubber at me girl, I know you're better than that! I'm leaving now. Be weary of Wakato," and she begins to walk away, leaving the blond there. The old woman turns once more, "Take care of yourself, San."_

_..._

_He is curious, having a strange feeling that he should go this way. He knows he is to watch the next fight, but he needs to find her first. He sees someone walking towards him from the distance. He knows by this person that he is on the right track. He walks up to the old woman headed his way. They stop, standing in front of each other for a few moments. The pink haired woman looks up into his green eyes, observes for the truth she knows. He stares back curiously._

_The old woman smiles, "Take care of her, Kurama. You're stuck with her, for life," and then she continues on her journey. He watches her go, and then follows his previous trail as well. It doesn't take him long, there is a cave, and his is surrounded by rock. The prize of his hunt sits against a rock, staring into the sky. He walks towards her, making noise so he does not startle her. She is more powerful, having completed her training he assumes. He stands in beside her for a moments, observing her. Her tawny eyes are unfocused, but he is sure she knows he's there. He places a hand on her shoulder, not really understanding what is going on, but knows he will find out soon._

_"San?" he questions softly. She sighs, and then looks over at him._

_"Kurama..." she trails, unsure of what to say to him. He smiles down at her._

_"Let's go," he says. She stands, and walks with him sourly back to the stadium._

_..._

Kurama took himself out of the memory, trying to focus again on how to defeat Karasu. No matter which scenario played through his head, there was no way possible he could beat the apparition. He was fast, powerful, and even managed to play mind games well. He called San queen, and was after her. It seemed that Kurama was going to find out many things about this girl, after she overcame the grief of losing Genkai. He would never forget the look on her face when Karasu was around, nor the one when she finished howling for her mentor. Stop, he had to focus on the up coming fight. The only way to win was to find a way to transform back into Youko, and there seemed to be no way to do that. Damn Shishiwakamaru, holding the secret and unable to help him. There was no way he could train with two days to become powerful enough to change, it just wasn't possible. There had to be another way, and he had to figure it out, fast.

"Hey Kurama!" Kuwabara called to him, interrupting his thoughts and running up to him, "About time I found one of you guys. Come on, please tell me you saw Urameshi run by?"

"No," he replied.

"This is like one of those wild goose thingys! I was following some huge mega energy and then it all vanished. Genkai said some weird things and then Yusuke wouldn't say anything when he got up and followed her. He was angry. You'd tell me if he was hiding from me right?" but there was someone in the bushes.

"Who's there?"

"The exact two guys I wanted to see. Lucky me," said the new comer, stepping out of the shadows. He was bandaged up, but neither knew who he was.

"You better answer his question!" said Kuwabara. The strange man stood in front of the two fighters.

"But don't you recognize the beautiful Suzuka?" he answered.

"Suzuka?"

"You remember Kuwabara, beautiful Suzuka?"

"Oh hey, that's right. I see the resemblance now. Your the guy that got his face turned into pudding Suzuka. Ha, yeah I remember you, nice clown suit."

"Better watch yourself simple human boy. It's against Reikai law to say my name without putting beautiful in front. I've learned from my last fight that my body isn't meant for fighting the way you do. And all my gifted techniques can't compete with your brute strength. No wonder you think of me as a clown. Hm?"

"Our patience grows short my friend. You must tell us why you're here," said Kurama.

"Your type is so incapable of polite conversation. Let me just skip to the point," said Suzuka. He held up the hilt of a sword and a jar with a mysterious fruit in it. Strange...

"So what?" questioned Kuwabara.

"These two items are my gifts to you," and he handed them to the fighters. Kurama took the jar, and Kuwabara the hilt. They observed them, wondering what they could be.

"Could you elaborate?" asked Kurama.

"Yeah, who cares about a fancy ruler," said Kuwabara. Kurama was sure she'd mutter idiot under her breath had she been here.

"It's a hilt amateur. These were these were the starting points for two items I gave to my own team. The bottle, Kurama, contains the fruit of the previous life hand picked from the upper realms of Reikai. It was from just a fruit that Ura derived the smoke for his reverse magic box, and drinking that will produce the same dreamy effect of turning you back into your demon form. And that one is called the trial sword, made from a Japanese seeder that grew to great heights by sucking up the surrounding life," Suzuka explained.

"Ew. That sounds creepy, I don't want to hold that!" and he threw the sword back at Suzuka.

"For Shishiwakamaru it became the Banshee shriek. But for you it should be quite different and probably without the demons," said Suzuka, throwing it back to Kuwabara, "Allow me the pleasure of a few more words and I'll give you a warning. This fight was the first time those items were ever used in battle. I still can't tell you exactly how they work or what side effects they have on their user."

"So we're guinea pigs now?"

"It's all up to you if want to use the help or not. Now good luck," and he started to walk away.

"Why on earth do you want to help us?" asked Kurama, not really surprised Kuwabara hadn't thought of it.

"Because I dislike you, but I hate Toguro. It only took three percent of his repulsive power to make a fool out of me. I was young, hadn't realized my greatness couldn't grant me everything like it should. I went to pieces at his feet, pleading for my life. The insult to my pride was death enough. I spent decades refining my techniques and collecting every enchanted item that I could. I changed my appearance and even helped assemble a tournament team. But you easily beat me before I could reach him. I can see it wasn't meant to be. But if my own body can't beat him, then at least my items can! I want you to show him that ingenuity and sophistication can win over strength, change his mind, show him that underdogs can win," and with that, he walked away. Kuwabara left, wordlessly, as well.

Kurama resumed his position before the interruption. He stared at the item in his hands. This was the secret, the answer he had been waiting for. This would change him back to his demon form, but he had to test it first, make sure it worked, figure it out before he used it in battle. There were many possibilities and variables with this strange liquid. He wasn't properly equipped to test it on other things, there was only one test he could commence. He took the lid off the bottle and was about to drink it. There was a tremendous force that stopped him. It was Yusuke, and he saw a thunderous spirit shot fly into the air, towards the heavens would be the best way to describe it. He then heard another howl, one of acceptance and pain. It was San, she was still out there, maybe she was with Yusuke, maybe not, but at least he knew she was safe. He took a drink from the bottle, preparing himself for the effects of it. He wasn't sure how much time it would take for the contents to take effect. He waited as the minutes passed, the moon rising, the night becoming later. He felt it then, his spirit and body growing weaker. The transformation took effect, he was back to his demon form.

"So, it really is you... Youko..." he heard San's voice. She was standing behind him and he turned to her.

"Your the human that has been taunting Shuuichi's head. You're mated, you should stop tormenting him," said the fox. It was hard to look into this girl's eyes.

"If you spend all your time with him, you'd know I was a demon. And you're right, I am mated. To you."

"What?"

"It's me Youko. Moriko. I'm here, I've been searching for you... all this time..."

"Do not lie to me! Moriko is dead!"

"Foolish kitsune! Lend me some of your power and I will show you!"

That tone, he knew it well. There was no harm in it, so he grabbed her hand, and sent his demon energy into her. He watched as she began to glow, growing taller than she was. Ears began to stick out of her head and a tail grew. Her hair changed from sun touched to tawny and there she stood, looking up into his eyes, "Beloved..." she was there, really there, standing right in front of him.

"Youko..." they stared. His golden eyes, how she missed them. He brought a hand to her cheek, making sure she was solid and not an illusion. He turned her to the side, pulling the clothing out of the way and saw his mark there. Her scent was the same, and his mark was glowing with him so near. He turned her to face him, seeing tears in her eyes. He brought his hands to either side of her face, wiping the tears away. She brought her hands to rest on her wrists. The feeling of his skin, he was real.

"My koishii ookami," he finally said, pulling her into his strong arms, wrapping his nine tails around her. She pulled him close as well. It was fifteen years ago that she had last seen him, and it hurt to be away from him for so long. He was here now, but she knew that he couldn't stay on the surface for long, especially giving her some of his power. After what seemed like eternity, they pulled back, but not by much. He didn't want to let her go just yet. He pulled her to kiss him, and they kissed passionately, like the two lovers they were that had been separated. It was long, it was meaningful, and it made her knees go weak. They broke apart and he ran a hand over her ear and through her hair as he hugged her again. The feeling of her, the smell, how he missed her, "Moriko... I thought you were dead. I was informed of your death."

"I did not think you would go to Koenma to find me. I did not want demons like Karasu to find me," she explained.

"That reminds me beloved, we must speak," and he picked her up just because he could and carried her to the nearest tree using his demon speed. He placed her on the ground and he sat against the tree. She sat with her back leaning on his chest, his arms coming around her once more. His silver hair mingled with her tawny hair as it blew in the wind. He kissed the top of her head, and then spoke in his soothing voice, "When did you meet Karasu?"

She sighed, knowing she was going to get shit for this, "When we were hunting the Jewel of the Forest. We all separated, and I found it. Karasu was there, he found me. I narrowly escaped and he promised to be back one day to claim me."

He remembered that day, the way she acted after she gave him the treasure, "Why did you not tell me?"

"I knew your rage Youko, I knew that he would kill you to get to me. I did not want that, I decided it would be better to get as far away from there as possible. He's powerful Youko, immensely powerful, it strikes fear to the very core of my being. He has every intention of killing you."

"I told you as Shuuichi, and I will tell you again. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe beloved. I refuse to lose you again, not after I just found you."

She smiled, "I believe it was me that found you."

He smirked at her comment, "You were always fond of hunts. Why did you not tell me who you were earlier?"

"I was not sure Youko, I did not wish to be let down so easily. How come you did not recognize me?"

"Instantly I thought of you, but being told you had perished made that belief die. You are excellent at hiding your scent koishii, you did not make it easy for me to notice you. Tell me, what happened that day?"

She sighed, looking up at the moon, "I fell, as you know. I landed hard onto the hard ground of this Earth. I was saved by Genkai, she healed me."

"And the young?"

"I'm sorry Youko, they did not make it..." after hearing that he tightened his hold on her. He kissed her cheek, shedding a tear for them. It was painful, but he wondered the pain she endured having to go through her life this way. He was not strong enough to protect her at the time, he wasn't even sure about now. He would be damned if anything else were to happen to her now. She turned to look into his golden eyes. They were gentle, as they always were when she saw them. The love he held for her shone in them and she kissed him with longing. As they did in the past, they created a temporary den, to enclose the two of them. Their kisses got hungrier and they mated. It was equal to the passion they had from their first union. When they finished, they were humans once again. Kurama looked at the naked form of San, knowing that she was his now. She stared back into his green eyes, and kissed him once more. This was probably the greatest thing that happened to him, he found his mate, she was here the whole time. They laid down, he was holding her to him tightly.

"Please, explain the rest of that day to me."

"Like I said, I nearly fell to my death. Genkai saved me, she healed me. I was lucky she had a heart towards me, and ever since that, I deemed her my pack leader until I found you. Yusuke has taken that position though, given he survives Toguro. Anyway, I stayed a wolf, unable to merge with a human. Genkai doesn't exactly live with civilization as you know, so for eight years I talked to her with my telepathy, and finally, I became San. As a human, my powers draw from the sun, in the daylight is when I'm the strongest. I tried to make my appearance as close to my demon one as possible, so it would be easier for you to find me, but clearly that didn't work."

"You should not have told Koenma you were dead."

"I did that for my own protection, like I said, I didn't think you would go there to look for me. Genkai trained me for the next seven years, I just completed my training yesterday. I will be fighting in this next match, the random team member that they acquired. Genkai told me that after Toguro saw me, they sent for this man, he has something to do with my past, I'm sure of it," she turned to look at Kurama, "I'm sure you know Karasu is relentless. Just thinking about him scares me, and you do know that I don't get scared all that easily. Please be careful, I don't want to lose you again either."

"I told you San," and he kissed her forehead, "I will do everything in my power to keep you from harm. As your friend, and your mate. I promise you this," she kissed him once more, "I must warn you love, being around me won't keep your identity a secret, especially with the public displays of affection. I know you weren't much for it before, but who knows how you feel now as a human."

She smiled, "Say that again."

"Which part?"

"Guess."

He took a moment to think about it, recounting every word that he spoke, "Love?"

"Yeah. I like that, it's been such a long time."

"I love you," he told her, moving to look into her tawny eyes. He meant it as a human and a demon.

"I love you," she said, kissing him. A glow caught his eye. It was the mark on her shoulder blade.

"It stayed on the surface?"

"Yeah, since the first time you came out to play!" she smiled at him. He kissed her again and then stood. They both began to dress, smiling contently to themselves.

"We should get back to the others now, it's getting late and the first match is tomorrow," he offered his hand to her, and she took it, helping him take away their temporary den. They walked towards the hotel, knowing that was where the team would be, "So I can remain in my demon form for fifteen minutes. I'm hoping that is enough to defeat Karasu."

"Wouldn't it be longer if you didn't have to give me some of your power?"

"Yes, it took three minutes away. You changed into Moriko the first time I emerged, am I right?"

"Yeah, but that's cause you were all like, I AM YOUKO! BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! I HAVE AWESOME POWER! And yeah, sent so much power everywhere, plus, me being pissed off, BAM, you get Moriko."

Kurama chuckled at her antics, kissing her hand. He then took off at his demon speed, knowing she would rather enjoy a race to the rest of the team. He heard her laugh and then she took off as well, staying in her human form. She was still faster than he was, but just barely. He knew as a wolf she would have left him behind ages ago, and liked that she had chosen to stay as she was. They reached the cliff where Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei were. They sneakily stepped down, standing behind Kuwabara. Their hands had found their way back to each others miraculously.

"Do you think its possible that you could shut up?" asked Hiei, startling the boy in front of them.

"Hey Hiei," said Yusuke casually.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on someone who's holding the world's most powerful sword!" declared Kuwabara, and then he screamed after seeing Hiei's arm, "Ew! What happened to your arm?"

"It wouldn't obey when I gave it a specific command so I decided it needed to be punished," he replied, holding it up to look at it. San observed it, and saw that it was burnt badly, he was trying again to control the dragon.

Kuwabara laughed nervously, "Okay he's weird, way too much information for me. Let's think about something safe like where's Kurama and San?"

"Kuwabara, we've been here the whole time dumbass," San announced to them. He looked startled, just noticing them.

"A bit nervous are we?" asked Kurama. The two of them stood proudly.

"Hn. I see you two have finally decided to stop playing games," said Hiei, eying the way they held each others hand.

"Alright then, now we just need to find the old lady," at those words, San looked down sadly. Kurama squeezed her hand reassuringly, "Has anyone seen her?"

"She's not coming," answered Yusuke, "She's not well, she just needs some time to rest."

San was happy with that answer, knowing that neither of them could say it, "I think its time we got some sleep," she said. Her and Kurama jumped away, leaving the rest of the team there. The next morning was the moment of truth.

...

thanks to my readers and thanks for the reviews :)


	19. Vengeance

The moonlight shone in the window. It was perfectly radiating on the creature lying next to him. Kurama couldn't sleep, he sat up in his bed thinking about his up coming match. He knew what he had to do, it was just a matter of getting it to work. He looked down at San. She appeared to be sleeping, laying on her right side, hair fanned out behind her. Her left arm had a slight reach towards him, and she was naked, keeping the covers under her shoulder. His mark had stopped glowing, but it still stood out for all to see. He moved a strand of hair out of her face gently, just in case she was still awake, or dozing. She was beautiful as always, and he felt foolish for ever doubting that this was his mate. He laid down again, staring at the features on her face. The pressure was on him, not only did he have to make sure he stayed alive, he had to defeat Karasu, kill him, or else he would continue to pursue San. Her life was in danger, and it was his job to protect her. He wanted to be able to do it, he knew he stood a chance. She would be battling as well, but he knew that Karasu wouldn't allow her to be killed. She opened her tawny eyes and stared directly into his. He was worried, she could see it. She moved, pulling him towards her, resting her head on top of his. She was scared about tomorrow as well, but she knew that if he had too much on his mind, he wouldn't be able to fight. No words needed to be said at this moment. She kissed him, just as the sun began to rise. Dawn was here. They still had a few moments, and San drifted off. Kurama kissed her cheek before leaving the room. He would be back, he just had to take care of something first.

"Hn. I was wondering when you'd show up," said Hiei, opening his door.

"I'm sorry to bother you Hiei," said Kurama, stepping in. He stood, his thoughts still haunting him. He knew that coming here probably wasn't the best idea, but Hiei knew him, knew of his past, and that made him the best option. Genkai was gone, he didn't know of anyone else who could do this.

"Well? What do you want?"

"I have a favour to ask of you."

"Depends on what it is."

Kurama sighed, looking out the window. The sun was climbing higher, time getting closer, "I'm going to be facing Karasu. This fight is personal, it stakes not only my life, but San's future. If I lose, he'll take her. Even if I win the match and he's still alive, he'll continue to pursue her. No matter what happens to me. I'm sure you already knew who she was, and I will not question your reasons for keeping the information from me. I just got her back, I don't want to lose her again, not this early. But this fight, it stakes everything on the two of us, and I cannot lose... I want to know if you can look after San for me."

Hiei stared at Kurama. If Kurama was doing this, it meant that Karasu was someone he should be afraid of, someone with tremendous powers, someone that Kurama knew he couldn't defeat. He didn't expect the fox to ask him something like this though, "Hn. Only until he's dead. She's on her own after that."

Better than nothing, "Thank you," and Kurama turned to leave.

"Kurama," the demon fox turned to look at the fire apparition, "You better not lose. I don't want to babysit her. And if you die, you weren't really worth her time."

"Always a pleasure Hiei," and with that he left, back to San.

She was still in bed, probably knowing he had left, but he was happy she chose not to question him about it. He sat on the bed, staring out the window as she slept. He felt her hand sneak its way into his, and he squeezed it. It wasn't her match that he was worried about, it was his. This feeling of dread would not leave their minds, and it greatly disturbed him. It seemed that this whole tournament had much more meaning now that she was in his life again. Even as a human, Moriko was a big part of his life, and being here with San was no different than his demon life with her. At least this way, he could still be with her, and she accepted him just as he was, demon and human. She found him, like she said she would. There was no greater happiness than knowing how loyal she was to him, remembering when he nearly kissed her when he heard of the false death. She refused because she wasn't sure, what more could he ask for?

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, "We should start getting ready," he spoke softly to her. He saw her nod yes, but she remained in bed still. He waited for her, knowing they had time. He didn't want to rush her, and she finally rose. She turned to look at him. They shared a moment, one that could not be described in words. It was funny how this boy could be her mate. They weren't very similar. It was easy to miss him, yet, she stuck around him, not knowing why until now. She realized over the time she spent with him as a human, she did love him just as she loved Youko. She was different as a human, not as formal, but the same amount playful. Finally, she nodded at him, and began to dress. He was ready, it was nearly time. When she was finished, he took her hand and the two of them walked silently to meet the others.

...

"It's time to kick some ass," said Yusuke, as they stepped out of the hotel.

"Right," agreed Kuwabara. Kurama nodded while Hiei said nothing. The five of them walked the short distance to the stadium. They waited by their door, for Juri to announce them. The waiting, it felt like eternity. She thought about Wakato, what he would be like, what his story was, and how she was going to handle him. She had many things in her inventory, knowing she would have to fight as a human, that she wasn't worried about. It was Kurama she was really worried about. She knew his plan of action, but was hoping it would be enough. She noticed Hiei staring at her all day, and that made her very curious. Good thing she wasn't a cat. What did he want from her?

"One question," said Kurama, breaking the silence. San turned to him, she found solace staring into his eyes. They calmed her down, even though she knew he was internally struggling, "Have you arranged for Koenma to be present at this match?"

"I did, but the little twirp hasn't shown up yet," Yusuke answered.

"I don't get it, why does Koenma need to be here?" asked Kuwabara.

"It's mandatory for tournament rules. He needs to be here," said San.

"And if he isn't, we are disqualified," added Kurama.

"I still don't see why the old hag can't be here," said Kuwabara.

"I told you, she's sick," said Yusuke.

"Aha! It just so happens I know a secret remedy that cures all kinds of sickness. Let me think, you hang upside down for a while, then you eat five large lemons, drink some two day old tea with pepper in it and then wrap yourself in sea weed," rambled Kuwabara. Despite the intensity of what was about to come, San laughed at him. Kurama was happy she was able to laugh, seeing her with such dread on her face really bothered him. He mentally thanked Kuwabara.

"So tell me, what's it like living in a constant haze of stupidity?" asked Hiei. This made her laugh more, and Kurama noticed the short fire apparition was looking at her. He respected her, despite his negative exterior, and Kurama was thankful for that as well, knowing that even after Hiei killed Karasu should Kurama fail, the small demon would continue to watch her, whether she knew it or not.

"I've had enough of your lip half pint!" yelled Kuwabara.

The doors opened just after that. Juri had announced them, revealing them behind the door. They stepped through it, making their way to the sides of the ring. The crowd was shouting things to them, like normal. San ignored them, the joy she felt seconds ago vanishing. The pressure was back on and she took a deep breath. Kurama put an arm around her, knowing that she was stressing. She was worried about him, about all of them, but mostly him. She didn't want to see him get killed, she didn't want to be stuck with Karasu for eternity.

This was the beginning of the end, "I'd really like to everyone of these jerk faces a thing or two about manors! Besides, all this shouting's giving me a headache," said Kuwabara. Moments later, Team Toguro entered the stadium. The five fighters came from the shadows and approached the ring. Karasu eyed down Kurama and San. He felt her tremble and he pulled her into a one-armed hug, so that she couldn't see him. He glared back at his enemy, hating the effect he had on San. Her face was burrowed in his shoulder, but she was still shaking.

There was a problem now. The team owners were supposed to be present for these matches, and neither team had theirs around. Koenma was supposed to be here, and whoever managed Team Toguro had a mandatory presence as well. Without them, both teams would be forced to forfeit, which wouldn't make a difference because the fighting would commence no matter what. She felt safe, hiding in Kurama's shoulder. The smell of roses filled her nostrils, and it calmed her, but only slightly. She heard the doors open, it was on the side of the Toguro's team. She didn't bother to look, she didn't want to face him just yet.

"Its him!" said Yusuke.

"Right, uh, which him?" asked Kuwabara. His question went unanswered. The crowd was getting angry, waiting for their team to present their owner. This was a stupid rule, it shouldn't even exist. Finally, right when Juri was about to disqualify their team, Koenma appeared, making a very dramatic entrance San noted, "It's a giant Koenma!"

"So what kept you, a diaper change?" asked Yusuke.

"Look Yusuke, I'm doing this because I have to. Highly important people like me shouldn't risk their lives, but I don't have much of a choice," said Koenma. They were finally ready, and turning to prepare for battle. San took another deep breath, facing her fate. This was the moment of truth, and she had no choice but to be ready.

"Wait a minute," said Juri, "You can't just switch, we need proof that the original fighter is dead."

"It doesn't matter," said the owner of Team Toguro, "The alternate fighter they have now wasn't intended to be a substitute in the first place. Just continue."

"Well, okay..." said Juri skeptically, "Fighters, take your positions!" she announced. San turned to look at Kurama a last time and then proceeded to the ring. Just as she suspected, Wakato was walking into the ring. His piercing red eyes were glued to her. She stared back at him with hate, wondering what it was he had to do with her past. She jumped up onto the ring and walked up to him, "The first match, Wakato vs. San. It was requested that San stay in her own skin, whatever that means. You may begin!"

"Stay in her own skin? What does that mean?" asked Kuwabara.

"It means they do not wish her to change into a wolf to fight," answered Kurama.

"But, can she fight as a human?"

"Stupid, she went threw more of Genkai's training than I did," said Yusuke. San stared at her enemy, wondering what he was capable of. She had never seen him fight before, there was no need for him to. She just couldn't figure out why he was chosen to fight her. Something to do with her past, what was it? He continued to stare at her, his evil eyes seemed to laugh at her. She growled at him. He disappeared, or so it looked like and came down hard with an elbow at her. She moved out of his way easily and kicked him in the head. It was powerful, and he flew back. She followed it up with a spirit punch the the gut and yet another kick in the chest. Her moves were swift, barely giving him time to think. He blocked her next attack and threw her back towards her team. She landed on her feet, staring at him. He stood, walking up a bit to her.

"You don't remember me, do you my Queen?" he asked. She gasped. He knew who she was.

"Sorry, must not be that important," she spat back at him.

"We met many years ago. I took something from you that day, something that brought you where you are now. I believe you called it Akatsuki."

She widened her eyes, "You..."

Wakato laughed, "Yes, me. I ruined your life, and killed your brother. I used his energy and turned him into one of those stupid spheres that sell for next to nothing!" he yelled, continuing his infuriating laughter. San was growling, all rational thought leaving her. There was no doubt in her mind now, this demon must die, "I have hunted your kind for years, trying to capture as many of you as I can. I use you pathetic demons for many things, but mostly..." and Wakato began to power up, "... I kill you all for fun!" and he charged at her. His fist made contact with her face and she flew back. She caught herself, powering her spirit energy. He came to drop kick her but she dodged. To the untrained eye, it looked like they were blurs, moving across the ring, both of them landing hits to the other.

"Hn. She's not using her brain, she'll get killed at the rate she's going," said Hiei.

"Yes. I suspect they used this demon on purpose, to distract her from rational thought. Toguro knew who San was, and would know of her strength. This demon maybe tough, but they would've known she was fighting today, and knew that she could easily defeat him so long as she had a clear mind," said Kurama.

"What do you mean?" asked Yusuke.

"San is nearly as old as I am. She was trained in combat at her place of birth, and then underwent intense stealth training under me. Finally, she was trained by Genkai. She has many fighting styles at her disposal, and that makes her dangerous. Toguro knew this, being informed by Karasu and knowing she lives with Genkai. There isn't a youki in all of Makai that doesn't know of us and our upbringing. It's ingenious, distract her by filling her with rage, then, she cannot focus on the techniques needed to fight Wakato. She fell for it, though the murder of her brother is a touchy subject."

"How come?"

"It was the reason she was banished from her realm in the first place, she was framed for it. It is wise to never speak of it. Wakato is the reason that she went through everything up until now."

"But wait, if she wasn't banished from her realm, she wouldn't have met you and be here right?" asked Kuwabara.

"Indeed. But it was a painful time for her until we mated. Everything she ever knew was gone, never to return."

"Tough break," said Yusuke.

San could not believe it! Here was the reason she lost her brother, the only family she had left. She loved her brother, her whole family. She had to kill him, had to make him pay for what he had done. If only he would stop moving so fast. There had to be some way to get him to stand still. And then she thought of it. She reached into her pocket without him noticing, while she dodged his attacks and laid her weapons down around the ring. She lost track of Wakato for one moment, and then he left a hard kick to the back of her head. She flew across the ring once more. Her energy poured out as she stood, facing him. He was laughing. Boy would she feel good after she shut this guy up. She didn't understand what it was about every opposing team that made them laugh so hard. Was it an opposing team disease?

"Try not to lose focus, my Queen," said Karasu from behind her. She paled from the sound of his voice, but was too angry to be frozen in fear. He reached out a hand, touching her bare ankle. The more he taunted her, the better it would be when he claimed her as his. He wasn't even sure what it was about her that intrigued him so much, but he knew he would have fun. She flinched from his touch.

"Fuck you!" she yelled, sending an energy blast at him. He stepped to the side, the wind from the attack barely touching him. The fear took over as he stared at her.

"San!" she heard Kurama yell. She turned and narrowly escaped Wakato's grip. He was fast though, and he grabbed her by the throat, lifting her into the air, "No..." Kurama trailed. Wakato continued his infuriating laughter. He cut off her airways, and she was starting to get dizzy.

"You are useless, I don't see why the legendary bandit mated with you, nor why Karasu here wants you so badly. You have no idea how much I wish I could kill you right now. My rage will just make it more fun to torture you some more, my Queen," said Wakato, squeezing harder. She had to do something, she couldn't lose. San swung her legs and kicked him in the face, breaking free and dashing away from him. She was still discreetly feeding her energy, waiting until her weapon was ready for him. Wakato stood, unsheathing his sword. He was angry, and she was the cause of that.

"Just wait my Queen, I have more in store for you," he said. San felt him power up, his energy flowing all around him. He shot his energy in a wide radius, San put up a shield until it passed. His sword began to glow green, and San knew this was trouble. Her attack wasn't ready yet, she still needed more time. He used his demon speed to attack San. She dodged his attack, getting a nick on her cheek, her left arm and finally, taking a powerful blow to the right side.

"SAN!" she heard Kurama yell. The smell of her blood filled the air. She landed right in front of Karasu, who walked up to her.

"Don't worry my Queen, I won't let him kill you," he whispered. Kurama was angry, he felt the pain of the gash in her side. She held her wound as she stood, weakly Kurama noticed. His eyes were wide, and he didn't like how Karasu was able to taunt her. It looked like she dragged herself away from him, blood staining her clothes and dripping on the ring. It left a trail wherever she went, as she inched towards Kurama. Wakato was laughing at her still, preparing for his next attack. He began to charge her, and it looked like she wasn't going to get away in time.

"Damnit San, move!" yelled Yusuke.

"She's... not going to make it," said Kuwabara.

"Hn."

"San..." Kurama trailed.

"Now!" she yelled. The ring was engulfed in green, as vines came up from all around the ground and made their way towards Wakato. They wrapped themselves around her enemy, completely immobilizing him. She dropped to her knees, while Wakato and the others looked in shock at what just happened. She was getting dizzy, losing too much blood, "Murderer... meet the Vines of Destiny."

"What have you done to me?" he cried, as the vines continued to squash him.

"The seeds I threw around the ring feed off of both our energies. They decide from the energy they get who deserves to die. Only the purest of hearts are spared. Since you had already admitted to killing my brother, I knew they would chose you over me. I have never killed for the sheer fun of it, only to survive, just as I have now. They will crush you completely, devour you. There is no escape from them," she explained, "You killed my brother, that is true, but you did not ruin my life. Because of you, I met Youko, and mated with him. It was my true destiny, and you were merely a pawn in it," she began using her powers to heal herself, but it would take time. She heard a muffled scream, and then knew that Wakato was dead. She willed the vines to disperse, leaving nothing but a bloody corpse, half eaten and blood flowing towards the ends of the ring. Juri declared the match a draw, seeing as they were both down for the same amount of time. It was good enough for San, as she felt Kurama carry her off the stage. He poured some of his power to her, and now it was just a matter of getting the blood flow back, "Thanks," she told him.

"That was a dangerous thing to do San. I've always hated it when you used those vines," he told her. He kissed her forehead.

"I had to, I couldn't think of anything else at the moment," she explained, focusing on her wound. The bleeding had stopped, which was good.

"One day you might encounter an enemy with a heart more pure than you, and your vines will crush you instead."

"It was hard to focus Kurama. I know, I fell right into their trap, that was their goal from the beginning. They didn't count on my stubbornness though."

"No. But I did. I knew you would think of something, even with all that anger trapped inside of you."

"Of course! I got to say though, I feel a hell of a lot better knowing that I may have saved the rest of my clan from at least one of these stupid people."

"It's amazing how you still continue to care for them after what they did to you."

"I can't help it, I was once their ruler. I'm sure not all of them believed in the treason, I know I had at least one friend who stuck by me."

"What happened to them?"

"Executed."

Kurama sighed, "You heal fast. Come on now, it's time to rejoin the others."


	20. From Silk to Thorns

"You alright San?" asked Yusuke as she was able to stand only with Kurama's support.

"I've had worse," she answered, wincing with every step. The bleeding had stopped, she wasn't dizzy anymore, it was just a manner of the wound to heal. It would be gone by tomorrow, if not, then the next day for sure.

"Maybe you should sit down?" suggested Kuwabara.

"No, I'd rather watch, it'll be better that way."

"Hn. I can't believe such a fool nearly killed you," said Hiei.

"And I can't believe you haven't grown an inch in years!" she stated, not caring for his tone at all. He looked away, slightly annoyed.

She focused again on healing her wound, she didn't like needing assistance standing, but she didn't have a choice right now. The half eaten corpse of Wakato was taken off the ring, the blood being cleaned up. Genkai had told her he was related to Bui. She'd have to warn the one to fight him about that. She was sure his rage would take it out on his victim, especially since she was on the opposing team. She pulled out a vial, drinking its contents to make the pain more bearable. She knew it wasn't enough to stand on her own, and she knew she would re open the wound even if she tried, but at least her mind would be able to focus on other things. Like Karasu. Who was staring at her. It was hard to tell what he was thinking while he hid behind that mask, but his intentions still stood. He was going to do his best to kill Kurama, and take her as his prize. She was still afraid of him, of his power, of those eyes that bore into her. Kurama glared at him. San was his, his to protect and his to cherish. The rage of the beast inside him would do everything in his power to make sure Karasu died. His enemy walked onto the ring. He placed two fingers to his head like a gun, staring at the two of them. What an ass.

"Look at him trying to scare us with his dumb finger. Man, I'm going to beat him until his mother doesn't recognize him!" declared Kuwabara.

"No," said Kurama. He looked at Hiei, and the fire apparition nodded to him. He walked over there and let San lean on him for support. The others looked at Kurama surprised, especially Kuwabara, "I will handle him," he finished walking forward, hate on his face. He continued on towards the ring. San watched him go, hoping for the best.

"Wait!" she said, hobbling towards him. He turned and she threw herself in his arms, kissing him deeply, "I love you," she told him after.

He kissed her forehead, "I love you. Save your strength," and he left her with Hiei once more. He turned and began walking again, death glaring at his enemy. The crowd was going nuts, but the girls stuck out in San's ears. She smiled at their enthusiasm.

"Damnit, if they start a riot in the stands, I'm not going to be the one that saves them," San heard Yusuke mutter to himself. She then felt the wind of Kuwabara running up to the red headed fox.

"Hey Kurama, wait," and he stopped right before Kurama got in the ring, "You think you'll use that medicine stuff that Suzuka gave you?" he asked, terrible at whispering.

"Actually, I took some about two minutes ago," he answered, "I've run a few experiments and found it takes a considerable amount of time to absorb into my body and change me."

"Ah! I don't know if you should take that stuff multiple times buddy, it could be bad!"

"There's no way I would've shown up here without testing it first," said Kurama, jumping onto the ring. He was going through mental preparations, that San was sure of. Leaning on Hiei was getting hard, so she sat far enough back that she would be able to see everything. She had to watch this, make sure he was alright.

"So, what's it do when you take it?"

"Suzuka was right in assuming it would transform me. However there is a time limit, and I can only stay in that form for fifteen minutes. I'm not worried though, fifteen minutes is more than enough," and Kurama walked up to Karasu. They stood apart from each other, sizing up. San was nervous, scared, and in pain. Hiei stood slightly behind her, waiting for this fight to start. Juri declared the match officially begun.

"You're either extremely brave, or extremely foolish," said Karasu, "Its rare for anyone who's seen my capabilities to go through with fighting me. She must really be worth it, and mean a great deal to you. It will make taking her away from you that much more rewarding."

"Don't flatter yourself Karasu. I'm hear to defeat you, and by the way... I advise you not to underestimate me," replied Kurama. Karasu's hand began to glow green, as Kurama released rose pedals into the air. She knew what he was doing, stalling. If Karasu happened to get injured along the way, then so be it, "Pedals and Thorns!" Karasu walked casually towards Kurama. Idiot. One of the pedals nicked his cheek, leaving a cut there.

"It's incredible, each of the pedals is as sharp as a razor blade," he said. The cut healed instantly, making San gasp, "How oddly charming," he continued to walk, "I must say Kurama, they are absolutely beautiful. However they are also weak and lacking in substance, traits they must have inherited from you," San growled at him. He continued to walk, he must be stupid, and she wondered why she was so afraid of him. As she expected, the pedals began to head towards him. He stood there, waved his hand, and one by one, the pedals exploded. She gasped, remembering why she was afraid of him again.

"What the heck? Those things just spontaneously combusted!" said Kuwabara.

"Be careful Kurama!" said Yusuke. San was trembling again. He didn't have to touch things to make them explode. She had to figure out how he was doing that, there must be a trick to it.

Karasu laughed, "Well, well, well, perhaps it was I who was underestimated by you," he said, "My hands are not the sole source of my power, they are merely vessels. Poor Kurama, it seems you've entirely misunderstood me. You aren't able to see my power so you feel secure that its everywhere. Even in the air you breathe. You can't escape it, it's all around you, inside of you. Why don't you make things easier and submit," he said jumping into the air. San gasped, he was faster than ever. Karasu was doing his best to get Kurama, thrusting his hands out to unleash his attack. San held her breath, thankful that her fox was fast as well. He jumped straight into the air, unleashing his rose whip. Karasu simply pointed and bang. It exploded, rendering it useless.

"You know you can't stop me, yet you continue to try all the same. That's what's so appealing about you... and her. It's a shame that circumstances couldn't be different for us," and he ran towards Kurama. Did he just hit on her mate? Wow, "But it doesn't really matter..." Karasu continued, "... even things that seem ideal always turn sour. I'm just speeding the process. Besides, I find that there's no greater rush than taking the life of someone you care for," Karasu was attacking the whole time he spoke. He was fucked up in the head, "The intimacy that murderer and victim share is unparalleled. Witnessing their spirit separate itself from their body!" his attacks were getting faster, more urgent.

"Is that what you plan to do with San? Kill her?" asked Kurama, still dodging his attacks.

"Physically no. I plan to rip that mark off her shoulder, and mate with her. Her loyalties to you will make it terrible when she must obey my every command. She'll hate it, everything about it, and I will greatly enjoy watching her suffer under me. When she finally begs me to kill her, I will happily deny it."

"You monster. I will not allow you to break her like that!" said Kurama in a hateful tone. San let a tear fall, Yusuke and Kuwabara staring at her, this being the first they had heard of all this.

"Kurama, you act as if you have a choice," said Karasu, he then disappeared, or so it looked like. He had simply jumped high into the air. Kurama finally noticed him, just in time it looked like. Karasu came down hard, damaging the ring where Kurama once stood. The fox jumped back, as Karasu landed on his feet. Then, an explosion went off on Kurama's left arm.

"NO!" San screamed, as Kurama dropped to his knees. She felt it, the pain, his pain.

"What's wrong?" asked Kuwabara.

"The pain..." she trailed.

"I don't get it..."

"San is Kurama's mate. Their bond grows over the years and the feelings become more intense. When he's in danger, she feels it, when he's in pain, she feels his pain, and vise versa. If he dies, his mark remains, but she won't live for very long without him to support her, unless she mates with another," explained Koenma. San turned her attention back to Kurama. She was really worried now.

Karasu laughed, "Like I said, it isn't necessary for me to touch you. It's just one of the perks."

"You okay?" Yusuke yelled to him.

"Damnit what's the delay! If that clown gave him some bad juice, I'll make him regret the day he was born!" said Kuwabara.

"Listen to yourself," said Yusuke. Karasu laughed again and Kurama began to run. The bastard landed in front of Kurama. There was another explosion, in his left leg above the knee. San felt that pain to, and she shed a tear. He was going to be killed if he didn't do something! Why hadn't he changed yet? He was shaking, having trouble holding himself up. Kurama...

"Perhaps I should explain how my power works. It's similar to yours and that we both manipulate things with our energy with one distinct difference. You can only control things that already exist like your plants. But I manifest my thoughts into tangible things. For example, the object I'm holding in my hand. Although you can't see it, it is still very real, and very deadly," said Karasu, "But honestly, I don't think words can do a justice. It's just one of those things you have to feel for yourself. After all, like they say, actions speak louder than words. Now make sure you pay close attention Kurama, I wouldn't want you to miss a single thing," and Karasu's hand began to power up. San could feel it, he was more powerful than she ever thought he could be. Green started to flow everywhere, the energy ball in his hands emitting wind and then, there was something in his hand. It was a demon energy made stick of dynamite. Karasu jumped and then threw it at Kurama. It exploded instantly, a massive one at that. She thought she saw something fly out just before, but her attention was focused on the massive smoke occupying the same space as Kurama.

"Where is he?" she heard Yusuke shout.

"Kurama..." she trailed, but she didn't feel pain, which meant he wasn't hurt. She tried to hone in on him. He was weak, and only getting weaker. Finally, he disappeared completely, and just like last time, his power emerged like thunder. He was angry, his energy was proof of that. Plus, San, or rather, Moriko knew his true power. She returned to her demon form, it seemed that when he powered up like this she was able to feed off of it in a way that it didn't affect him. Or did it? She wasn't exactly sure.

"Anyone see?" asked Yusuke, who obviously hadn't noticed her. The smoke was starting to clear, but just barely. Karasu had landed, and he was bleeding. There was a rose sticking out of his hand, that's what she saw earlier. She stood, but barely. Her wound was no better, even with Youko's power flowing through her.

Karasu held up his hand, "Very amusing," was all he said before destroying the rose. The smoke started to have a bluish grey colour to it, and then, there he was. Youko, and he looked pissed right off. He blew the smoke away, he was always fond of an entrance. Moriko smiled, happy to see him. She felt better knowing that he had finally appeared. Now Karasu would see his power, and knowing what happened in the past, he would take his vengeance.

"Alright! This is going to be sweet!" said Kuwabara.

"You're telling me that's Kurama?" said Yusuke.

"Basically," said Koenma, "As you know, his full name is Youko Kurama, but he's known by many other types to."

"What?" questioned Yusuke, turning to look at San. Wait, "And just who the hell are you? Where's San?"

"Allow me to introduce the former Queen of the wolf clan, Moriko Chie, the mate of Youko Kurama. With his powers to the surface, San is able to return to her demon form, Moriko."

"That explains all this my Queen bullshit," said Yusuke. Moriko turned her attention back to her mate. He was bleeding, the injuries not making a difference in his demon form.

"Creating a bomb from nothing takes talent. That caliber of power is a sign that you belong to a superior class of demons, a class I consider to be fairly worthy. Worthy to fight and worthy to die. You have made a threat against something that is mine. For that you will surely die, from my hand only. Most demons are smarter than to go after my mate, you must think you really stand a chance," said Youko.

"You flatter me, but we still aren't equals!" said Karasu. His hands powered up green once again. Moriko could see now, see what they had been missing since the beginning.

"Rest assured Karasu, I wholly agree," Youko turned to look at her briefly, and then turned his attention back to his opponent, "Now I see, you create monsters that act as invisible bombs," he said, pulling out two roses and throwing them at the oncoming bombs. They exploded before they reached him, "How very clever, that's why I had such difficulty fighting you while I was trapped inside. Lucky for me I found a way to break free from Shuuichi Minamino just long enough to finish you."

"That's fascinating. But nothing more than a loser's excuse. You weren't able to beat me then, and you won't beat me now," said Karasu. Youko stared, analyzing how he would finish him. Karasu created more bombs, plenty of them, surrounding the area he occupied, "But you're welcome to try," and he launched his attack. Youko dodged them easily, soaring through the air, "When you come from the Quest Class of demons, you find that you can create all sorts of interesting things. These little jewels are what I like to call trace eyes. Once these bombs set their sites on you, they will follow you forever."

Youko moved between them without effort, "Have you heard of Ojigi? It's a rare plant found only on Earth's South America. The Ojigi is extremely sensitive to movement and if it senses any kind of vibration, it will quickly close it's leaves on its prey," Youko explained, still easily moving through the bombs. Moriko was impressed, and forgot about getting some of the seeds off of her mate. She was fond of the Ojigi plant.

"I have no interest in gardening," said Karasu. Youko stopped moving. He stood still, the bombs completely blocked every place he could move, "My, my, looks like you're surrounded. What's a boy to do?"

"I thought you'd know better than to corner an enemy like a fox Karasu. We have a tendency to show our teeth," Moriko smiled at his words. He powered up, and out burst his lovely weapon, "An Ojigi plant is quite dangerous regularly, and it is several times more lethal and more sensitive when grown under a demons energy," he turned to Juri, "You, unless you want to be plant food, don't move," he instructed. She agreed, moving slightly and the plant headed towards her, "Moriko!" she was there, hobbling towards Juri. She put a dome around the announcer, and asked the plant nicely to leave the poor girl alone. The plants bud opened up, glowing red, "It looks like it zeroed in on you. Guess all your trembling must have caught it's attention."

But Karasu ignored Youko and turned to Moriko. He walked up to her, slowly, "Interesting, you feed off the energy of your mate to revert back to your demon form. You really are an exquisite creature, my Queen, I think I'll keep you in that form once I claim you," Moriko glared, despite the fear she had. With her mate right there, she felt safer.

"Leave her!" Youko growled, as the plant began its assault on Karasu. He jumped out of the way, the plant making no contact with him whatsoever, "How does it feel to be the one pursued?" The plant cut off his every move. It had manifested all over the arena, branches popping up from everywhere.

"Oh yeah, this one's in the bag," said Koenma.

"Who cares that he's part of the whatever you call it class, Youko'll still kick his butt!" yelled Kuwabara.

"It's called the Quest Class. I bet you don't even remember your own name half the time," said Hiei.

"Get off me! Anyway, that super fox Kurama's going to beat that idiot, I just know it!" Moriko appreciated Kuwabara's support and confidence, and for both of their sakes, she really hoped Youko could pull it off. The plant began firing it's ray, and Karasu dodged all of it. He was stupid, the more he moved, the more attracted the plant got to him, it was only a matter of time before it caught him. He threw a bomb at it, thinking it had died, landing confidently, but Moriko smirked, knowing better. The plant emerged from the smoke, ready to claim him.

"The Ojigi also responds to aggression, so it will be all the more vicious once you attack," said Youko. One of the blooms headed right for Karasu, "You're going to have to come up with a smart way to kill it or else..." he held two fingers to his temple, "Bang," and he imitated a gun, throwing Karasu's actions right back in his face. Moriko laughed at this, and he winked at her. One of the flowers clasped onto Karasu, lifting him high into the air. It squeezed so hard his mask came off, and then all the other blooms began to pile on, covering him completely, "I thought it was going to last much longer than that. I would've liked to toy with him more before he died," and he turned to walk away. He smiled at Moriko, feeling a sense of relief. She was safe now, and that was all that really mattered. She walked up to the ring, waiting for him.

"Kurama sure showed that punk what was up, and he closed the deal in a measly five minutes!" said Kuwabara.

"Yes, two more wins and its done!" said Yusuke. Koenma was mumbling something, but Moriko was more focused on her mate. The plant then lowered itself, which was odd. It began protruding green lights. No, he was still alive!

"Youko!" she screamed, pointing behind him. He turned just as Karasu exploded the plant.

"I wouldn't count me out just yet," said Karasu, eyeing down his enemy and his prize, "You both look surprised. Did you really think that was the last you'd see of me?" Karasu then began to power up, breathing in the air. He glowed green and his hair changed from black to blond. His true power was showing.

"Step back Moriko!" her mate instructed. She obeyed, hobbling back to her former position. She parked beside Hiei, unable to support herself any longer.

"Can someone explain this? What exactly is going on here?" asked Kuwabara.

"It's an explicit sign that he's internalizing his power which means that the bombs he creates are inside of him, virtually making him one giant explosive," explained Hiei.

"Are you serious?" asked Yusuke.

"Of course I am. If my assumptions are correct, he's about to detonate, if you're wise, you'll take cover now," said Hiei. Moriko watched as Youko took a step back. Karasu powered high, making the stadium glow green and jumping into the air, laughing.

"Youko..." she trailed as Karasu was coming down fast on him. She felt someone grab her, and her powers growing weaker. Hiei had pulled her out of the way, "YOUKO!" she screamed in fear for his life. The explosion was so huge it blew a hole in the side of the stadium. The smoke was clearing, just as Hiei had landed with her on the wall of the stands. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Koenma pulled themselves out of the rubble. Hiei jumped down with her, placing her on the ground. She was too weak to stand on her own still, "Where is he?" she asked. His pain, it was hers. He was still alive, just not visible. Karasu was laughing, and she saw Kurama break out of the rubble. She looked down at herself, she was human again. But, it hasn't been fifteen minutes yet? Maybe it was her presence that shortened it. But it wasn't by much, there was no way it could cut off as much time as it did. San looked at him, he was wondering what was going on, just as she was.

"Forgive me for disturbing your train of thought but, shouldn't you take this time to pray? Maybe say good-bye to the Queen over there? After all, you're about to meet your creator! And lose the love of your life!" Karasu laughed, San growled, "You can ask him why he flawed with you!" and the bastard continued to laugh. Kurama pulled out a rose, trying to summon his rose whip. It just exploded. San gasped, "You're too weak Kurama, you can't even control the most basic of your attacks. Make this easier on both of us and give in, I promise it won't hurt too much. I'm just going to take your life and then take what should be rightfully mine. If you think about it, death isn't really so frightening. Who knows? You might even enjoy it," Karasu finished. Kurama jumped onto the ring and used his swift moves to attack Karasu. She didn't understand, surely he wasn't going to do something stupid... was he?

"He has a plan, it's obvious in the way that he moves," said Hiei. Kurama continued his assault, not landing a blow, but San knew that it didn't matter. What was he up to?

"I think you've finally lost your mind. If you come any closer, you are a dead man!" said Karasu, powering a bomb in his right hand.

"I will not be afraid of something I cannot see!" declared Kurama, charging at his enemy. Karasu launched his attack, and Kurama dodged it, landing in front of him and making a massive strike, knocking his enemy back.

"You're just full of surprises, but I thought you'd be more original," said Karasu, pulling out the seed of the death plant, "You really thought this would work. It's called tact Kurama, you should really consider using some. I must congratulate you though, you've injured me more than once and that's practically unheard of," and he exploded the seed in his hand. Something came out of the ground just then, a claw looking thing latching onto Kurama's ankle. A little tiny bomb came out of it, "That's what I call my mad bomb," Karasu explained. It exploded, blowing a chunk of his flesh, leaving him bleeding. He screamed, she felt it.

"NO!" he fell to the ground. The wound was great, and he struggled to get onto his feet, grunting in pain with every movement. He made it to his feet while Karasu laughed, "Don't move! You're surrounded!" she screamed at him. She was scared, the fear was evident in her eyes. The bombs were glowing, but other than that they remained unseen.

"Didn't you say you chose not to be afraid of that which you could not see?" said Karasu.

"Shut the fuck up you piece of shit!" San yelled at him. She was furious, scared, and in pain.

"Speak now while you can my Queen, it won't be long that I'll have complete power over you," he taunted. She gasped, trying to stand. Yusuke grabbed her arm, helping her up and supporting her, "You know this entire battle has been an exercise in futility. You're weak, you're tired, you're powerless, you're pathetic. Yet it seems you have a masochistic streak that needs indulging. In that case..." one by one the bombs exploded directly on Kurama. She felt each one, and could barely imagine how he was feeling. He was smoking, as he dropped to his knees, bleeding badly. It was all she could smell, taste, and feel. Tears were in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"That red hair is perfect for that fiery spirit I admire. You know that's why I've decided to leave your beautiful face unharmed? I may not be able to keep you, but I'll always have you're face as a memory, and make sure my Queen will remember it always, I'll keep it as a constant reminder to her," at those words, the tears fell, and Kurama stood once more. He couldn't let him win, he had to do everything he could. He turned to look at her. Yusuke was holding onto her, no doubt she could feel all of his pain. She stared back at him, face full of fear. Karasu laughed again, "Yes, say your good byes now, because this will be the last you see of each other ever again!" and he commanded the rest of the bombs onto Kurama. He screamed in agony, and she screamed with him. He was dying, covered in blood, and fell to the ground.

"NOOO!" she screamed, the tears pouring down her cheeks. He was getting weaker, his life energy diminishing, "No..." but then he began to rise again. He was up to something. He powered up and released the Vampire Tree, that latched onto Karasu and sucked away all of his life. She had never seen this before, but knew that he was dying. He used the last of his energy... No... She gasped, relieved this time. He began to rise once more. Karasu was dead this time, no one survive the Vampire Tree.


	21. Misleading Opponents

"Yes, say your good byes now, because this will be the last you see of each other ever again!" and he commanded the rest of the bombs onto Kurama. He screamed in agony, and she screamed with him. He was dying, covered in blood, and fell to the ground.

"NOOO!" she screamed, the tears pouring down her cheeks. He was getting weaker, his life energy diminishing, "No..." but then he began to rise again. He was up to something. He powered up and released the Vampire Tree, that latched onto Karasu and sucked away all of his life. She had never seen this before, but knew that he was dying. He used the last of his energy... No... She gasped, relieved this time. He began to rise once more. Karasu was dead this time, no one survive the Vampire Tree.

"But wait..." said Juri. Kurama was on his feet, breathing heavily and stained in his own blood.

"And the winner by total gross out is Kurama and the folks of Team Urameshi!" announced Koto. There was something bothering San about Juri. Kurama may have killed Karasu, but that didn't mean he won. If he lost it wouldn't be much of a problem, they could still get three wins.

"We did it! In your face!" yelled Kuwabara.

"You made a nice flower pot out of him Kurama!" said Yusuke, bringing her up to the ring and helping her towards Kurama.

"They don't look like a team that just lost a match, what do they know that we don't?" questioned Hiei. San didn't care, she had to see her mate, he was in a shit load of pain.

"How you feelin' there champ?"

"Fine," said Kurama, but then fell to his knees. San nodded and Yusuke let go of her. She fell in front of him, observing his wounds. Yusuke sank to his knees as well.

"Stop, your making it worse," she told him, placing her hands on his cheeks.

"Your wound is not much better San. I know you're straining yourself to stand on your own," said Kurama. He then turned to Yusuke, "I'm sorry Yusuke."

"Why?" he asked.

"If only I could have lifted myself a fraction of a second sooner," he answered.

"Who cares? You won, and you saved San."

"It's unwise to be so confident before an official announcement."

"And the official announcement says, the winner of match two is Karasu!" announced Juri. Damn.

"What?" Yusuke shot up. San didn't care, she poured some of her energy to Kurama, to help him. He was hurt badly.

"You idiot..." she said, tears in her eyes, "You were going to kill yourself to defeat him."

"San, please understand, it was the only way. If I died knowing you were safe, that was better than leaving this world knowing you were his," said Kurama, placing a hand on her arm tenderly.

"You didn't think! If you die, then I die! You know I won't go find another mate!"

Kurama looked down sadly. He was ashamed to admit he forgot about that part, he just thought that if Karasu was dead, she was safe. She was a wolf, and they mate for life, meaning she wouldn't find another mate like another demon would, "Forgive me," he said and then grunted at his pain. She held onto him, lifting him, ignoring the pain she felt, "San please, you'll only re open it!"

"I'll be fine, I'm going to try you're not thinking strategy," she spat in his face. Yes, she was happy that he was alive, but she was mad he would do something that stupid. She knew he was smarter than that, "You used every ounce of your life energy, how did you manage to survive?"

"The powers of our demon energy combined. Every time I use the potion and change, you change with me if I'm releasing a fair amount of energy. I was angry, and I wanted Karasu to know what he was dealing with. The time of my change was shorter, but I retained some of Youko's powers, and your will as Moriko to keep me alive gave me enough strength to survive."

"I wanted you to stay alive even as I am now Kurama. Be you human or demon, I still love you. But if you ever do this again, I'm going to commit you to the insane asylum, because this is the second time you've tried to kill yourself!"

Kurama chuckled, trying to keep his weight off of her. He didn't want her wound to open again, but she was too stubborn to listen, and he wasn't pack leader, so there was no way to win, "Agreed," and he turned to Yusuke and Juri. Koto had put in a replay of Kurama's match. The two of them watched it, seeing Karasu die once more, and the counter reach ten, with Kurama still on his knees. Karasu may be dead, but he still won. San didn't care though, her mate was alive and she was no longer going to be pursued, and that was all that mattered to her. Yusuke walked up to them. He took Kurama from San and then walked to the sides. She followed, slowly, knowing she was over exerting herself. Yusuke set Kurama down against the side of the ring, and then helped her down towards him. She began her healing process again, and it wouldn't be hard, they were all flesh wounds. He was grateful to have her, resting his head on her shoulder. She focused on her work.

...

_"San, I have one more request as your pack leader," said the elderly woman. She stares intently, turning around to see her. She knows the fate of this old woman in front of her, and knows that there is no way to stop it._

_"Yes?" she questions, curious as to what this request could be._

_"I'm well aware that it's not the way of the wolves to interfere with affairs other than their own, but I may be back in some form temporarily during Yusuke's fight. If I happen to do that, we'll go through with what we discussed before leaving the temple."_

_"But you said you didn't want to see me in spirit world."_

_"I don't, this is merely a precaution," said the pink haired woman, and then turned to leave._

_"Wait!" she stops her mentor. The woman turns to look, waiting as requested, "Yusuke could win, I had a vision. One that I'm unsure of. Three students will come to your temple, I will be there alone, waiting for you to arrive. They're ordinary humans, but somehow, they've attained reiki in a way which I've never seen before. The only thing I do know is... somehow I'm back at the temple before you, and if Toguro dies, things won't become easier from here on in."_

_"And what makes you think that I'll be returning to the temple?"_

_"Oh come on Genkai! Everyone will wish for your return, even Hiei!"_

_The elderly woman snorts, "All but one."_

_"Huh?" but the woman walks away, leaving her confused. She sits on a rock to ponder these thoughts, wondering what they all meant. A familiar, rosy smell reaches her nostrils, and she knows he has come to check on her. He makes his presence known, even though she does not acknowledge him. Finally, she turns to him, in a sour mood, and walks back to her destination for the moment. She is silently thanking him for coming to retrieve her._

_..._

"Shut up! That's not even a clever chant!" Kuwabara shouted to the audience that was chanting "Two more to go!". San didn't understand why they got to him so easily, "No one seems to be taking into account our moral victory here. At least everyone on our team is alive."

"You just don't get it," San heard the elder Toguro speak. The crowd desisted with its chant.

"Oh, you all shut up for the shoulder monkey!"

"Because they know whenever I open my mouth I have something of importance to say. Your observation is, as usual, short sided and quite incorrect."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Even if by cruel cosmic joke you survive your matches, you forget the champions are each granted a wish. Once my team wins and mine's awarded, I'll wish for the death of all your friends!" and the crowd began to speak once more. It was slightly annoying, but easy to block out while she focused on her work.

"I've had it up to here with this moronic chanting!" yelled Kuwabara.

"Forget world peace, now I'll just wish for muscles!" shouted Yusuke.

"Want to know what I'll wish for when we beat them?" Hiei stepped up. It seemed the crowd was silent to listen to him as well. All ears were focused on him, "The bloody death of every member of that corrupt tournament committee so that I'll never be pulled into one of their carnivals again," his voice was menacing, and San was very grateful he held no grudge with her or her mate. She could hear mumbling on the other side of the ring. Kurama was doing better, he would be able to stand better than she in a few moments, just in time for the next match.

"But before my wish can be fulfilled I'm going to enjoy very much beginning the annihilation of you personally. Go ahead, I'll graciously allow you to pick your first martyr," San heard the elder Toguro speak again. He was either still attached to his brother or on the ring, she took a peek. Just as her eyes were able to see, she saw Bui walking up to the stage. She could feel the earth shake with his every step. Whoever fought him would have to be weary, "Oh Bui I wasn't expecting you to step forward so soon. You must be special, he rarely shows this much initiative. Then again, your bitch killed his brother out of pure revenge, maybe he just wants to avenge him as well. After all, it can't be fair that he killed her brother so she merely takes his life in return. This should be dandy. Which ever one of you gets to fight Bui is in for quite the treat. He has the strength of 1000 oxen," Toguro explained. San narrowed her eyes at him, calling her a bitch like that. So what if it was the technical term for a female canine, that didn't make it any less offensive.

"Oh yeah? Well take a look at these big guns I got here! Let me go with this guy," said Kuwabara. He just didn't get it, did he?

"So you want to be buried in that or something decent?" asked Koenma.

"Now your so close to my height Junior, why don't you say that to my face?"

"Do you want a grave or a tomb?"

"Yusuke," said Hiei, and San perked her ears to listen to him, "I planned on taking the thug with the sunglasses by myself, but after what happened to Genkai, I believe vengeance belongs to you."

"Thank you," said Yusuke. San turned to look at them, pouring more energy into healing Kurama. Hiei disappeared, to the untrained eye, he actually just jumped onto the ring swiftly.

"But this thug will do just as well," and Hiei was standing there for a moment. San stood.

"Hiei..." she trailed. He didn't turn, but she knew he was listening, "Please be careful, I doubt he loses all rational thought when it comes to the death of family like I do. He watched me kill Wakato, and still just stood there," it was the best warning she could give him. She knelt back down to Kurama as Hiei walked away. Her mate put a hand on her arm.

"I should be alright now San, I do not want you drain all of your energy, you are starting to bleed again," said Kurama, looking at her side where the gash once was. He was right, fresh blood was starting to trickle down the old stains. Kurama then stood, while Juri made a comment about the height difference. San stood with him, but he refused her help. He was able to stand on his own, and she forced herself to stay on her feet. Bui had summoned his huge ax. It was interesting, maybe twice or three times the size of Hiei. Suddenly she felt happy that she only faced Wakato, Bui looked like he would be more of a problem.

"Serves Hiei right," said Kuwabara.

"Why is there never a sling shot when you need it?" asked Koenma, but San was more concerned about what Kuwabara had said.

"Koenma is right, Hiei is better off challenging Bui. You're too cocky, especially with that ax, you'd get your head chopped off easier. Hiei's fast, the fastest one of all of us, just be happy about this," San told Kuwabara. He turned angrily to her but then a look of shock took over his face. She was pale, and he saw her wound had opened up again.

"Whoa San, are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. A vision came in just then, right at his touch. Yusuke was fighting Toguro, and Puu, Yusuke's spirit beast was flying around with a look that greatly resembled Genkai. Right after, Toguro started towards them, the ring destroyed completely. Kuwabara began to charge at Toguro, who looked as if he has powered up to full strength. He then struck Kuwabara, right in the heart, and the boy died. San could see his spirit in the air watching the match. The rest of the team ran to him, San just standing there, feeling guilty. She didn't want Kuwabara to die, she knew why Toguro would do that, but she still didn't want him to. The orange haired loud mouth was apart of the pack, and San had to protect him. This was an alterable vision, one that she wouldn't just stand by and let happen, no more people were going to die if she had something to say about it, "San? You there?"

"San?" she heard Kuwabara and Kurama. She looked, and saw that she had fallen to the ground, kneeling. She was dizzy, because of the vision and the blood loss. She used her energy to stop the bleeding and seal the wound again, but she was still weak. Kurama helped her to her feet, hating that he had no energy left to help her. He held her against him, so that she could watch this next match, knowing she would stand on her own to do so. She couldn't have been out for long, the two competitors were still having their stand off.

"Hn. Not a bad weapon you have there Bui, but with all do respect I must say I still prefer my own," said Hiei, removing his over coat.

"No, he can't!" said Kuwabara. Oh but he could, San knew he had done intense training to control the dragon, and he was simply able to summon it once more if he so wished. She wasn't sure if the others knew about it or not. His right arm was bandaged, and held down with metal bands. He was hiding it, the energy that could be spewing from it, "Man, look how tight Hiei has those bandages wrapped around his arm. His injuries must not even be close to healing."

"No, you've misunderstood Hiei's true motives. The purpose of this particular binding is not to repair," said Kurama. Even with this serious even occurring, his voice was calm and soothing.

"What the hell? So it's just there to look pretty?" asked Yusuke.

"Not exactly."

"Why doesn't bandage make your hurting parts feel better?" asked Kuwabara. He was ignored, because Bui was charging at Hiei. He jumped before he reached him and then came down hard with a swing of his huge ax. Hiei was too fast for that, and moved out of the way easily.

"Your aim is as broad as your ax," said Hiei, "Could you at least try to hit me next time?" Bui went to pull out his ax, taking a full stone section of the ring with him. He then hurled it at Hiei, but the fire apparition moved. Bui continued his assault, Hiei dodging all of the huge stones easily. Stones were flying everywhere, into the crowd and all around the ring.

"I may be a small target, but this is sad," said Hiei. His jagan began glowing, and he wasn't moving for the next piece of concrete coming at him. His fist then began glowing, "Prepare yourself for the fist of the mortal flame!" said Hiei, punching all the remaining attacks. The rubble cleared and Bui was coming down hard at Hiei. It was a clash of the power, and Bui's ax was broken, the head of it flying into the audience. He simply summoned another one, "At least you're consistent, consistently foolish if you think this ax will have anymore impact than the last," said Hiei, staring his opponent down, regardless of the height issue. Bui threw the ax at Hiei. The small demon charged up and caught it, making it explode.

"Uh, remind me never to let Hiei touch me again any time soon, or like, ever," said Kuwabara.

"Right, I'll make a note," said Koenma.

"What an amazing thing," commented San, truly impressed at Hiei's power. Maybe there wouldn't be much to worry about.

"Has anyone ever told you how annoying that is?" asked Koenma. She ignored him, the question not important. She looked at Kurama, who was focused intently on the match in front of him. He was thinking, analyzing, trying to figure out what Hiei was up to.

"I warned you that was a foolish maneuver, but you refused to listen, much to your disadvantage and my boredom. That is not forgivable," said Hiei.

"Sorry to bore you," said Bui, his voice slightly echoing and very deep. This was the first time he had said a word throughout this whole tournament, "I'll remove my armor. You should know two things Hiei the swordsman. I was saving this for someone else, and this is the highest compliment I give," he continued, removing a gauntlet.

"I am honoured, I really am, but are you sure you're strong enough to take a direct hit from me without any armor?" asked Hiei.

"I'll handle it," replied Bui. He then threw it towards her team, Kurama moving himself and San out of its way. It landed, sinking into the ground about halfway. San gasped, not expecting how heavy it was.

"Whoa its heavy! And that's just one of his arm things? How'd he ever manage to fight in all that stuff, let alone stand up straight in it?" said Kuwabara. Idiot. Bui continued to remove his armor while Hiei waited. Every piece must have weighed a ton, or so San thought.

"Most fighters wear armor to protect themselves from their opponent..." said Bui, lifting his arms to remove his helmet. He took it off and it sank into the ring. His hair was short and more blue than aqua, but San could now see the relation to Wakato. "... but I'm the opposite. I actually wear this armor to protect my opponent from myself," he finished, removing his mask. He threw it to the ground as well, and San could feel all his energy that he had contained inside that armor, "You see, my powers are so great I can't control them on my own," and then he powered up some more, being engulfed in green and rising into the air. It was overwhelming.

"Whoa, how did I not pick up on this guy's energy?" said Kuwabara.

"Because of his armor. It contains his power," Kurama answered him.

"If it contains it then why the hell would he take it off then?" asked Yusuke.

"No, that's what I meant by contains, is that his armor keeps his power from escaping. Definition number two."

"I call this Battle Aura. I'd like to see you try and top it," said Bui.

"And so would I, but I doubt I'll have to try," replied Hiei. He powered up with red demon energy and then lunged swiftly at Bui. He was knocked back, but landed on his feet. Bui started at Hiei, but the fire demon let out another fist of the mortal flame. Bui shrugged it off and then sent his energy at Hiei. He deflected it easily. Bui sent more energy at Hiei, and the fire apparition moved. The energy followed so Hiei led it directly back at Bui, causing a massive explosion on impact.

"Not bad," commented Yusuke.

"Getting beat by your own attack? Man that's got to be pretty gosh darn humiliating," said Kuwabara. Was he afraid to curse or something?

"Yes, all I can say after watching that move is, I'm glad Hiei is on our side," said Koenma. The smoke was clearing and Bui powered up from the hole in the ring. He rose into the air once more.

"I told you you'd have to try and top me Hiei," he said, "Maybe now you'll be able to take me more seriously. Show me the respect I deserve. My attacks are designed to be only as strong as necessary to take out my opponent. As you can see, that wasn't even enough to put a dent in me. Take that anyway you like."

"So, it takes a lot more than that to bang you up. Here comes a lot more," said Hiei, beginning to unravel the bandages on his arm.

"Hey, Hiei's taking off that bandage you were talking about, you know the one that doesn't do what it's supposed to do?" said Kuwabara.

"It seems you misunderstood. On the contrary Kuwabara, that binding has accomplished precisely what it was meant to do, which for Hiei is similar to Bui's armor. Though in Hiei's case it's not just his own energy that is trapped in that arm," said Kurama. San didn't like the sounds of that. This meant that neither of the fighters could control their energy, which also meant that if they clashed with enough power, everything in a huge radius would be destroyed.

"Once your own doom as been unraveled, I assure you there's no turning back," said Hiei, powering bandages were completely gone now, the dark power emerging quickly and in full force. She wasn't sure how well this would work. The girls would need protection, Botan and Yukina combined wouldn't be nearly enough. If only Genkai was still here, she'd be able to help out, because San didn't have any energy left to protect anyone at this point. Her only option was to use her life energy, but she wasn't sure how long that would last. Hiei's dragon could easily destroy him as well as Bui, and with his opponents power, he might actually have a chance of deflecting the dragon. Either way, this made her nervous. Kurama could sense it and pulled her closer. All they had to do now was wait for the next move to take place.

...

sorry this took so long, just dealing with finals, but i should be able to update more frequently, i only have two left. thanks for reading and reviewing :)


	22. Intermission

The dragon was released. Who knew that it would turn out like this though? Hiei was impressive, his pursuit for power taking him to lengths most youki only dreamed about. While he was not the strongest out there, he was definitely two classes higher than when they had first met. To rise like that was truly something, something San would be sure to remember in the off chance she must fight him. She didn't foresee such a thing, but wow.

"It's even more than before, without control he could kill us all," said Kurama.

"That's cool," said Yusuke.

"Please don't eat me, please don't eat me," Kuwabara chanted. Koenma just looked as if he was ready to take off on his jet pack. San turned her focus back to the match. The energy, it was spectacular, yet very unstable. The air itself smelled of Hiei's uncontrollable power, and the ring began crumble under it. Kurama held onto her tighter, knowing that they should try and take cover. Kuwabara seemed to pick up on it.

"Shouldn't we hide or something?" he asked nervously.

"Wait, give him his due time, it could be advantageous after all," said Kurama.

"Hold on, you said it'd kill all of us if he lost control like last time?" questioned Koenma.

"Yes, but it appears in the short training since then he has learned to master it better."

"Oh better? That's reassuring, yeah..." said Yusuke, words filled with sarcasm.

"Yusuke, shut up," Koenma told him. Kurama was right though, while this was much more powerful than the first time, that was only because Hiei had mastered it more, or completely. Hiei ran at Bui and finally released it. Bui was screaming as it flew towards him, but his resistance was truly impressive. His energy stopped the dragon from devouring him, yet it continued to pursue him, trying to break through the aura.

"Damn, who is this Bui bastard?" said Yusuke.

Kurama gasped, "He's actually stopped it, I didn't think it was possible!"

"I'm not scared, but we should at least find a rock to get under!" yelled Kuwabara.

"What an amazing thing..." San trailed, her comment being ignored for once.

"I hope you don't think that dragon is completed!" Hiei yelled to Bui, powering up again. San widened her eyes, feeling as if she spoke too soon. Hiei unleashed the rest of his power, "completing" the dragon. The sheer force of the attack was surely enough to defeat her, and Bui was resisting it. The dragon drove him all around the stadium, destroying everything in its wake. The power made the ground shake, the weaker demons dying off completely from just the power. The stage was leveled as Hiei jumped up to watch his dragon devour Bui. San couldn't see what was going on, but then she gasped when she saw the dragon heading back towards Hiei. It swallowed Hiei, Bui's laughter faint, and then it disappeared. San was frozen, she couldn't believe he had actually deflected the dragon. Something was strangely off though. How in the hell...?

"Do you... feel that...?" she asked Kurama. He looked at her confused, wondering what she was talking about. She took a few steps forward, and he watched her. She was staring up at where Hiei was last seen. Juri was just getting up to announce Bui the winner, when the dragon had started to re-appear. It then burst with power once more.

"San!" said Kurama, pulling her back to him. It was Hiei, she knew he was still alive. Amazing, he had devoured the dragon instead of vise versa. This would make him even more powerful than he hoped to be, San was sure. He was glowing blue as he stood in front of his enemy.

"This brings up my next attack," said Hiei, menacingly, "It's a little different," Bui was started, as he should be as Hiei's glow began to fade.

"Now that's cool," said Yusuke.

"Yes, truly an amazing thing..." trailed San, and this time, everyone had to agree with her.

"Explain this!" demanded Bui.

"A new attack? Wait, did he just do what I think he did?" asked Yusuke, as he watched Hiei and Bui.

"It's true. Hiei has consumed the Darkness technique," explained Kurama.

"You mean he ate the dragon?" asked Kuwabara.

"Apparently he's learned what no one before him has. The only way to gain real control of the Darkness Flame is to trap it within. Now the dragon is inside him, and at his full disposal. Even Bui must accept what that means. You must have sensed that earlier?" he asked San. She nodded, her eyes glued to the fighters on the destroyed ring. Hiei's power began to charge yet again.

"Countless centuries, countless masters trying to harness the power of the Darkness Flame..." began Hiei, his powers getting stronger by the minute, "...only I have had the courage and the strength to realize it's glorious potential. I have the power of the black dragon, because now I AM THE DRAGON!" declared Hiei. Bui jumped into the air, charging his energy and attacking Hiei. It was no use, the fire apparition was too strong now. It seemed the enemy was doing his best to try and hurt him, but Hiei took everything and felt nothing. He was toying with Bui it seemed like. Bui sent a spirit charged punch at Hiei, and he simply stopped the punch easily. Finally, Bui leaped into the air again and Hiei followed. He used the Darkness to defeat Bui. Hiei landed and the two of them were sharing words while Juri began her count. At the number eight Hiei was back in the ring, making the small fire demon the winner. The crowd cheered surprisingly, maybe out of fear and San smiled.

"Yeah! Do you hear that Toguro? We're lookin' at a tie ball game!" yelled Yusuke. Hiei jumped from the stage and headed towards them.

"Wait, this is a no dragon zone okay?" said Kuwabara. San smiled at his antics.

"Really awesome Hiei," Yusuke complimented.

"Yeah, awesome, why don't you go about 20 yards that way and fight the rest of them," said Kuwabara.

"That's against the rules now you cretin. Besides, my attack expired," said Hiei, and San noticed that he was shaking.

"Expired?" questioned Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"I don't know if your brains can imagine it, but this attack drained a good deal of my energy..." and he yawned, "...I'll require some hibernation to get it back. Think you can manage finding a safe place for my body so it won't get stepped on?" he was looking at San for this one, and she was surprised.

"Did you say hibernate?" asked Yusuke.

"Fancy word for being lazy ," said Kuwabara.

"Listen to me as closely as you can you two, I'm trusting you against my better instincts only because I have no other choice. Take care of the Toguro brothers. If I wake up and you've lost, I swear I'll kill... you... all," and Hiei began to fall. San was there, lowering him to the ground. She was smiling widely as she laid his head on a rock and then walked back to her mate, who was openly laughing. Yusuke was also laughing, as she watched Kuwabara observe the sleeping demon.

"That's Hiei for ya, he faints but he still has time for threats," said Yusuke.

"Hold on, so nothing we do will wake him up?" asked Kuwabara.

"Not long ago he was on a streak of terror. If he had this power then it would've been disastrous, now, it's our asset," San heard Koenma mutter to himself.

"Can I give him a mustache?" asked Kuwabara, holding a marker in his hand. San smiled while Kurama and Yusuke continued to laugh. She walked up to Kuwabara and took the marker away, shaking her head no. The fact that Hiei trusted her with his body was saying something, and she wasn't going to let anything happen to him. The laughter had stopped and Kurama brought them both to sit. He leaned against some rubble, still weak from his match and pulled her back to lean on his chest, his arms wrapping around her securely. Her wound wouldn't open again, and she was stronger now, feeding more energy into it.

"You've got to hand it to him, when Hiei's feeling serious, he really lets you know," said Yusuke, observing the stadium. It was destroyed, they would need a new ring in order to continue the finals. There were only two battles left, and they would determine everything.

"With this technique mastered, his power is overwhelming indeed. We'll have to stay on his good side," said Kurama.

"Hell, he didn't say how long he'd hibernate. Maybe we'll all be dead and it won't be an issue."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," said San.

"That's a nice way to think Yusuke, I can see you've dealt with all of your problems," said Koenma.

"Yeah... Anyway, what are they going to do with the ring? It looks like a graveyard," said Yusuke, once again observing the damage.

"Hey, why are you worried? The ring's not your problem, all we got to do is think about smashing those Toguro's and get things back to normal," said Kuwabara, walking up to Yusuke. After that the elder Toguro was trying to play mind games, with all of them San assumed. Kuwabara was going to be the one to fight him, and San was sure that he was afraid. It was stupid that he tried doing that.

"Hm. He's pulling some stupid intimidation. What a joke," it seemed that Yusuke was thinking along the same lines as she was.

"Yeah, can you believe how silly he is, I mean, what kind of person would get scared over some dumb red eye trick? I'm going beat him so fast."

"I've received word that we'll have a long intermission while the new ring is brought in," began Koto, but San stopped listening after that. Intermission, it would give Hiei, Kurama and herself time to recover. She had a bad feeling about the rest of the finals, the vision about Kuwabara bothering her. If all went like it was supposed to, he would win against the elder Toguro, but die unless he did something when Yusuke fought his match. She did not wish for this to happen, knowing that Kurama would be completely vexed with her if she told him her plan. If only there was a way to stop this without a casualty. There was, it would be easy, so long as she had the energy to do so. It would weaken her considerably, and she might die, but if it would save his life, she knew it was worth it.

Kuwabara sighed, "This conversations putting me down. I'm going to the locker room to relax. Got to get into my fighting groove," and he began to walk away.

"Tell them why you're really leaving. You're frightened because you're about to die," the elder Toguro was just suddenly there, standing in front of Yusuke. San gasped and Kurama glared after looking startled, tightening his hold on her.

"Hey, you got no business over here!"

"You have improved your strength remarkably over the few months Kuwabara, but there's still an abyss of difference separating you and I, so say the appropriate prayers... Because I don't like painless endings," though he tried to hide it, San could tell that he was afraid, "Lucky for you, your execution's been postponed. Why don't you go enjoy your life for a while? I wouldn't want you to have any of those sickly regrets," concluded the elder Toguro, laughing as he walked away. Bastard. Mind games were one thing that always helped during a battle, and Kuwabara was not the greatest enemy when it came to those.

...

_Her world becomes black as she falls. The last thing she remembers seeing is her lover, falling away from her, and her last thought is her young, who she fears are injured along with her, the last thing she feels is indescribable pain, hitting the earth with tremendous force. She is ready to accept death, whimpering in attempt to howl one last time. There is a light, and she opens her eyes, seeing a pink haired old woman above her. The pain is gone, but how? She was dying, that was for sure. She realizes that this old woman has cured her, and she is grateful._

_-One thanks you for your kindness- she speaks into the mind of the old woman, knowing no other way to communicate with her._

_-Forget it. Who are you? I've never known a wolf that could speak to me- the woman replies. She would never reveal herself, but she was in debt to this woman._

_-I am called Moriko Chie, former ruler..-_

_-Yeah, save it, I know your story. Where is your mate?-_

_-He would have merged with a human by now, regaining his strength-_

_-So I'm stuck with you until then huh? Fine, but if you're going to stay here, you live by my rules, and we'll begin training immediately-_

_-May I know your name?-_

_The old woman grunts -Genkai-_

_-Truly? The psychic with a vendetta against demons?-_

_-I hold no grudge against demons, only the ones that stand in my way-_

_-Stories often do become embellished-_

_-First we'll see if you an even walk, otherwise you'll be useless to me- She rises, and walks to the other side of the room. Her strength for movement works, and she sniffs at her belly. She realizes in that moment, her young are no longer with her. She breaths in and releases a long and sorrowful howl, in tribute._

_..._

The team was sitting in the locker room. Hiei was still sleeping on the bench, Kurama sitting with San's head in his lap. Kuwabara, Yusuke and Koenma stood, waiting. San was dozing while the others sat silently. The girls had been to see them, but left after the others had run towards the Earth shaking foot steps of the younger Toguro carrying the ring from the other arena on his back. It was truly something, and still not his full power. San wasn't interested in that though, she was too tired. It wouldn't be long before the next battle was to begin.

"Screw this, I'm going for a walk," declared Yusuke.

"Hey Urameshi, wait up!" Kuwabara called after him. They were bored, and Koenma left without a word. Kurama was left with San and the sleeping Hiei. He looked down at her, moving hair out of her face. His finger lightly went over the cut on her cheek. She flinched from it, and opened her tawny eyes going to look into his green ones.

"That's very irritating you know," she told him, rolling onto her side and using his hand to hide her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I did not wish to wake you," he replied.

"You didn't, I wasn't really sleeping."

"You snore even while you're awake? That's impressive."

"I do not snore!" she said, looking at him surprised. He only smiled, and then bent down and kissed her. She welcomed it, missing the feeling of him. She sat up after they broke, resting her head on his chest his arm coming around her absent-mindedly. The room was quiet, and she could hear something just then, a rhythmic sound coming from inside of his chest. What was it? Why had she never noticed it before? "Kurama?"

"Yes?"

"What is that sound I'm hearing?"

He looked confused, "I don't hear anything..." She grabbed his hand and placed it where her head just was.

"Do you feel that?"

"That's what you're talking about?"

"Yes, what is it?"

He laughed, "It's just my heart beat."

"What?"

"Heart beat. The beating of my heart, it keeps me alive."

"I don't get it."

"Humans have hearts, that's one major thing that separates them from demons. You once told me that you felt pain in your heart from losing me and our young. It's a natural human reaction, since you were a live wolf and not a spirit one, you would have a heart. The brain naturally affects our emotions and our hearts become more than just a muscle. You never knew?"

"No."

"Have you never felt your heart rate rise once? Felt a pounding in your chest?"

"Well yeah, but I didn't really think much of it considering the events happening."

"What about when you've gone for your runs?"

"How did you know I still went on runs?"

Kurama laughed again, "Trust me San, there is nothing that I don't remember about you, be you human or demon. You are a wolf, you like to run when you can."

"It's quite exhilarating sir, I suggest you try it."

"I could never keep up with you... remember?"

She smirked, "Yes. Anyway, about the heart thing..."

"Yes?"

She smiled, leaning her head there once more, "I like it."

He smiled, kissing the top of her head, "I hope so, because if you were to remove it, I would die."

"Wow, you'd think with all the time I've spend with you recently I might have rubbed off."

"Not at all."

The room was silent again. Kurama stood, grabbing a book and sitting again. This was a human trait for sure, one that she even picked up. Reading was a favourite pass time, especially being isolated at the temple for years. She smiled and stuck her head back on his lap, over top of his book. He looked at her expectantly, knowing that she probably wanted something if she was interrupting him. That was the only time she ever did anything of the sort, "I was wondering... What do we do now? Like... where do we go from here?"

He knew this question was going to come up eventually, and he was hoping she would be happy with his decision, "I wish to live out my human life before returning to the Makai with you. You see, my human mother, Shiori, whom you will meet one day, saved my life, and I do not wish to make her sad by leaving her."

"I understand, I planned on doing the same with Genkai."

It was tough, she was close to Genkai, "What will you do now that she has passed?"

"Take care of the temple, I can't just leave it the way it is, she'd rise from the grave just to whip me into shape!"

Kurama chuckled, "Yes, I'm sure she would. I can come visit you often at the temple."

She smiled, "That would be nice," she lifted her head so he could pull his book out from under it. She occupied one leg so he could continue to read and began dozing again. Her wound was healed enough to even be able to run for a short period of time, and she had just enough energy to save Kuwabara if necessary. She was sad that she had to hide this from Kurama, but she knew that telling him would benefit neither of them. Koenma walked back into the room, standing behind Kurama. Hiei began to stir not too long after that.

"Ah, you're finally awake," said Kurama.

"Where am I? How long have I been out?" Hiei questioned, sitting up.

"We're in the locker room, and you've been hibernating for little over six hours."

"Six hours? Well who won the tournament?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that one, nothing's changed since you were out. Yusuke and Kuwabara got bored and went for a walk."

"You're not making sense!" yelled Hiei getting to his feet.

"Will you shut up! Just cause you got six hours of sleep doesn't mean we all did!" said San rubbing her eyes and nuzzling back into Kurama's leg. Kurama put a hand to her head without noticing.

"It's taken time to organize since you leveled half the stadium. I hear they were going to fly in a carrier from the mainland to bring the old ring, but Toguro carried it on his back from the old stadium, so we can begin shortly," Kurama explained.

"What?" but then Koto announced that the next match was going to begin. Kurama shook San slightly and she rose to her feet.

"Shall we go then?"

"Yeah," said Hiei, San and Koenma nodding. The four of them made their way back to the ring, preparing to watch Kuwabara face off with the elder Toguro. Yusuke and Kuwabara were already there.

"Isn't that nice, Genkai really didn't show up for her battle," San could hear Kuwabara say.

"No, you pull your own weight from now on!" Hiei yelled to him.

"Oh even Hiei's back, well then she must really be sick."

Kurama walked up to Yusuke, whispering, "I'm sorry Yusuke, but this might be a good time for you to tell Kuwabara the truth about Genkai."

"Yep, you're definitely still pale Kuwabara. How do we know you're not going to bail on us?" asked Koenma.

"Would you please shut up about that? I'm a real man okay? The only way I'm leaving that ring is if he's beaten or I'm dead!" declared Kuwabara. Koto was speaking again, but San couldn't hear over the impatient cries of the crowd. She watched as he pulled something out of his pocket. A hilt? What good would that do for him? He began walking to the ring, "Hm, I guess if I don't make it, take care of my cat," were his words. The elder Toguro jumped onto the ring, the two combatants getting ready to face off for the second last match. It was Juri's call for them to begin, as this battle had San scared. She finally declared the match to begin. Here we go...

...

thanks for reading guys, i'm sorry for the delay. i wish to say, if you do not like, then do not read, and do not insult me with reviews. constructive criticism, great, mean comments, fuck off, i will delete them. thanks for everyone who enjoys and makes a point to tell me :) enjoy! :D


	23. Needle in a Haystack

Kuwabara stood in the ring with the elder Toguro. He was holding a hilt, and San could not understand why, but she was sure that she would find out soon. They were just waiting for the word from Juri and then they would begin. It didn't take long, she declared the match to begin. Kuwabara began to power up, looking like he was electric. His reiki flowed thru the hilt, creating a burst of power. San gasped, along with the rest of them. It was like a super charged spirit sword. His whole body was surrounded by an electrical aura.

"Bet you didn't expect that one did ya?" he said to the elder Toguro.

"The energy drawn in by that sword strengthens Kuwabara's body, improves both his offense and defense. If Toguro doesn't realize that, Kuwabara may actually have a chance," said Kurama.

"What an amazing thing," stated San.

"Hn. I believe I've told before how infuriating that is," said Hiei. She ignored him.

"If there's anyway to bring you down Toguro, I'll find it!" yelled Kuwabara, charging at the short demon.

"That weapon looks awfully dangerous. Try not to slip," said Toguro. The ground under him then began cracking, and it was heading towards Kuwabara. What was he up to? Kuwabara continued his charge and made a direct hit, slicing his enemy in half. While it looked good, San didn't trust it. There was something bothering her about it.

"Hey, um, did Kuwabara just win?" asked Yusuke.

"I don't know," said Kurama.

"Hey, I'm really incredible, I beat a Toguro brother in one attack!" he was basically patting himself on the back.

"No," said San, glaring at the ring.

"San?" asked Kurama.

"Yeah, I know it's hard to believe, but can't you at least be happy for the guy? I mean, use your eyes," said Yusuke.

"No, it was too easy. He didn't even try to defend himself, just stood and waited. He's not dead, he's still out there," she explained.

"Yeah, he's right there, split in half!"

"We shall see," she knew this was too easy. She believed that Kuwabara did have the strength to defeat him, but not that easy. The reputation proceeded them, there was no way he could finish him off that easily. Juri walked up to Toguro and started to declare Kuwabara the winner. Before she could finish her statement, Kuwabara was struck from the back and thru the chest with something sharp. She knew it. They had just missed his vitals, that she was happy about. He dropped the hilt and fell to the ground, the power leaving. When the weapon had retreated, it was coming from the ground, it was... a hand? Hands and hilts, what was this world coming to? The hand pulled the owner of the body to the surface. Was it a surprise that it was Toguro?

"What the?" questioned Yusuke.

"If you've watched any of his battles, you would know that he can extend any part of his body. I don't know how far it can go, but I do know that it makes it hard to hit him directly and actually injure him," San explained.

"You are a very simple minded child, it feels so good to trick you," said Toguro.

Kuwabara grunted, "It's supposed to be one on one."

Toguro began to laugh and he pulled the look-a-like from the ground it appeared. It turned out that what Kuwabara hit was merely just an extension of Toguro's arm. Bastard, "Oh I do assure you that my decoy and I are apart of the same body. You got me, but when you see the truth of it, it's just a paper cut. I feel the sensation of pain, but it's quite unlike yours. You see I can move my body's vital organs anywhere I please," and he proved it but moving his brain it looked like out and bringing his heart to stick out under the skin from his hand, "When I see your attack coming I simply adjust so that all you hit is flesh. It makes injuring me very complicated."

"All you are is a little freak show!"

Toguro then reached out with his fingers and grabbed the hilt that Kuwabara was carrying, looking at it up close, "It is truly an exquisite sword. You inherit from her?"

"Who?"

"You would think she would leave something like this for one of her apprentices, but I guess Yusuke and the Queen weren't strong enough. Pity."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Genkai is just sick!"

"Oh that's perfectly sad. Your friends have been keeping secrets. Genkai is dead, she has been for two days."

The shock along Kuwabara's face hurt San, "No! It can't be... Why... didn't I see that? I see... Everybody really did know about it but me. They kept me out on purpose, they didn't think I could take it," but Kuwabara's monologue was interrupted by Toguro extending his fingers back into Kuwabara's flesh, striking him near the heart. San gasped.

Toguro laughed, "Don't cry Kuwabara, it isn't your fault the old witch couldn't stay. Go and question her yourself if you don't believe me. Another few inches and I can pick out your heart," and he dug the fingers in further.

"No..." San trailed.

"Kuwabara!" yelled Yusuke.

Toguro retreated his fingers and then started laughing again, "What a sad life when your friends aren't even straight with you. But I will tell you everything about the frailty of your human kind. It's the story of a young impressionable human girl named Genkai. She was the most beautiful girl in all the land," began Toguro, creating an image of a younger Genkai with his right arm. San began to growl, "She was a fighter who wanted to be the very best in the world. Then she met a man named Toguro who also wanted to be the best. He agreed to play with her. They did everything together, so much that he nearly forgot his own brother. The woman and the man were even in love. But then the woman became ugly like a prune and no one wanted to be around her-"

"Brother," the younger Toguro sounded as if he was warning him. San was not happy with this.

"Oh it's okay, he's just a little anxious because this next chapter is his favourite part in the story. You see the man became a demon who would stay strong and never become a prune. The ugly woman became extremely jealous of the handsome man and went to fight him, but she was not strong anymore. So the man was happy to murder her," Toguro finishing by stretching out his left fingers to pierce his own puppet.

"This guy is seriously fucked up," San gritted between her teeth.

"Muttering some final rubbish to her failed apprentice, the woman's soul drifted away to some quiet corner of hell. We lived happily ever after," and Toguro laughed after his final words. San was growling, her whole body shaking with anger. How she wished she could sink her jaws into this youki's flesh.

"That's a load of shit! Genkai wasn't jealous, Toguro killed her cause he couldn't have her!" yelled Yusuke.

Kuwabara was on his feet, his energy powering up immensely, "I'm going to kill you, you better know that!"

Toguro put his hand back to normal, "That's very nice enthusiasm, but you must have forgotten that I still have your weapon. I'd give it back but helplessness is more fun."

"You're honourless."

"Yes I am, good thing that's not what this tournament is about!" and he turned his arm into a piercing device, going straight for Kuwabara's chest. It didn't go through, Kuwabara's power making it unable to break, "What's happening here? I can't pierce your skin!"

"I see! Kuwabara's strength and his resolve appear to be closely related!" said Kurama.

"You have no soul, you're just a nasty little waste of space. Now..." and Kuwabara powered his energy, shooting it in tiny daggers it looked like, "DIE!" The attack sliced at Toguro, separating his limbs from the body.

"That was nice," commented Yusuke.

"Yes, what an-"

"Don't even finish that sentence," interrupted Koenma. San smiled wide at him. Juri began the count, actually doing her job.

"Maybe honour doesn't matter to your kind Toguro, but it does to me," said Kuwabara, turning to walk back to the rest of the team. Just as Juri reached eight, she gasped, Kuwabara turning around in shock. Toguro was still alive.

"Stop counting! Do you really think its over? I was only surprised for a moment, I didn't think you could attack me that way. I should be more careful," said Toguro, beginning to reattach himself.

"What are you?" asked Kuwabara in disbelief.

"Good question, I'd like to know that myself. I suppose you should ask the tournament committee who granted my wish in the first place. I knew I'd become a demon, the rest was just trial and error. You better conserve your energy from now on, you're already hurt and I have yet to be," said Toguro, standing now that he was put together again.

"You're invincible."

"The only chance you have of beating me Kuwabara is to pierce either my heart or my brain. But that's not very fair is it? It's kind of like trying to find a needle in a haystack, except the needle moves when it chooses to."

"Just shut up!"

"I think I'll just skip the search and send you straight to your death. Don't forget to tell Genkai how much we miss her!" and Toguro launched his attack, his stupid fingers again. They came around the back and through Kuwabara's legs and arms. Toguro lifted Kuwabara and then pulled him to the ground. Hard.

"You bastard!" yelled Yusuke.

"Now's your chance to cry and beg for your life just like Genkai did before my brother killed her!"

"Liar," grunted Kuwabara. Juri began to count.

"You can stop, I have other plans for this one that don't include him living to see the end of this match!"

"I'm sorry sir, but I have to count," said Juri nervously.

"Then you will end up next to him!" and she kept her mouth shut after that, "The funny thing is, even if you could stand up, which you can't, there's no way you can beat me. You see there will never be a way to pinpoint my vital organs because they never stay in one place for very long."

"Whether it's in this fight or the next fight Toguro, know this: I will beat you."

"I was going to play with you a while longer, but your voice grows irksome. Perhaps I'll just cut out your tongue," and he changed his unused hand into a blade of sorts. Fuck.

"Kuwabara..." Yusuke trailed.

"Shit..." San trailed herself. She was standing with Yusuke, not liking the way this was turning out.

Toguro was laughing, "My mother always wanted me to become a surgeon. It's a pity I played hookie the day we dissected frogs. Well, here goes," and he launched his weapon at Kuwabara. It looked to San that he was up to something. She looked and then saw it. The hilt. He was trying to reach it.

"Come to papa!" he shouted, using his energy to summon it. Toguro stopped, looking behind him startled.

"Huh? What is that?"

"It's another round of slicing for the bad guy! Good bye," said Kuwabara menacingly. The sword sliced at Toguro once again and landed in Kuwabara's hand. Toguro was down and then Kuwabara told Juri to take a count. She didn't even make it to two.

"There's no need for that young lady," said Toguro, "You are quite the slow learner Kuwabara. I thought we already established that my body doesn't like to go to pieces so it doesn't," and he began to re-attach itself once more.

"Too bad. It's a look you deserve," and Kuwabara lifted the sword above his head.

"I've been very sporting. You know I've told you exactly how to end my life and yet you've been unable to do it."

The sword in Kuwabara's hand began to change. It looked like a huge tennis racket, "I've thought about what you said earlier Toguro, and you're right, I have no way of knowing where your organs are hiding. So I'll just pound everything all at once."

San finally saw fear in the eyes of the enemy. She smiled, liking the look of it on him, "Stay back!" he cried.

Kuwabara walked up to him, "Well since we're sharing here, my mother always wanted me to be an exterminator. So now, it's time to make her proud of me. Spirit fly swatter!" and he struck Toguro with full force. It was truly amazing. When the smoke cleared there was nothing left but a pile of rubble. Juri declared Kuwabara the winner and San breathed a sigh of relief. Kuwabara walked back towards the team, the rest of them walking up to him as well.

Yusuke laughed, "It's about time you won a fight. That was awesome," he complimented. Kuwabara just kept walking with that pissed off look on his face, "You alright there man?" but Kuwabara ignored him and then punched Yusuke across the face. He was knocked back a few steps and then turned back to his friend, "What was that for?"

"I thought we were a team, but I guess I'm just one big joke to you all aren't I? Well this joke has feelings! Genkai meant a lot to me to!" explained Kuwabara, walking up to Yusuke again and grabbing him by the shirt, "Did you all just sit around and laugh about how clueless I was? Is that how you get your kicks Urameshi? Huh?" But Yusuke was silent, "Answer me!"

Kurama walked up, "Kuwabara, listen to me," he spoke softly. San knew that voice, it was the one he used to calm her when she was upset.

"This doesn't concern you!"

"Yusuke did not tell Hiei or me either. We were left to detect her passing for ourselves."

"Yeah, and what about San?"

"Her connection with Genkai is how she knew, and her sorrowful howls were how I became aware of the situation."

"Is that true?" Kuwabara demanded of Yusuke.

"I didn't tell anyone. She died in my arms..."

"Then what?"

"San is taking her place, temporarily... At least, that's what I told myself. I guess I thought if I never said it, it wouldn't have to be real. I'd like to think I know better than that now. The only way to move on is to give her death the reverence she deserves and give grief where its due. But that's why I couldn't tell you. I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did Kuwabara, and I'm sorry you felt like we punk'd you, but I can't apologize for dealing with this the only way I know how," and with those words, Yusuke walked up to the ring.

"Urameshi," said Kuwabara, turning slightly. Yusuke turned to look at his friend, "Win this."

"Right."

...

_"This is bullshit, it's been eight years and you still cannot even change into a human form. What kind of legend are you?" the old woman yells at her. It is true, she is still having trouble changing her form, "If you can't even manage a human form, I'm simply just going to release you to the wild, because there is no way Moriko cannot change herself after this long. Okay, so you needed two years to replenish some of your strength, but what's your excuse for the last four years? No wonder you winded up here with dead kids and no mate. If I were you, I wouldn't bother finding him, save yourself the embarrassment of showing him what a failure you are!" the old woman's words are harsh, and she is stunned that such words would leave her mouth. She powers up in anger, forcing the image of herself in her mind. She releases her power and no longer feels fur on her skin. The old woman smirks at her, "Much better, I knew anger would get you. Now let's see..."_

_She tries to walk to a mirror, but falls in an attempt to use hind legs again, "I'm me again..." she trails. Something doesn't feel quite right. She no longer has a tail, and her ears have gone as well. She observes her hair, noticing it is not the same colour as before, her voice sounds younger._

_"You're an eight year old human girl. You're powers are still weak and cannot return you to your demon form. This is better anyway, at least now when I send you into humanity, you'll be able to blend in better. Now stand up, no leader should ever be groveling on their knees!" the pink haired woman commands. She stands taller than the woman in front of her. The woman walks towards her, and then chants in a language she cannot understand. Her mentor places her hands on either side of her ankles, and a yellow glow surrounds them. She does the same for her wrists, and the power binds them together. She falls to the ground once more._

_"What have you done to me?" she asks in confusion._

_"Spirit cuffs. If you ever hope to regain your powers, you'll need to keep these on as long as possible. If you release them too early, then your screwed, and it's not my problem. So long as these stay on, they will hide your limitless energy. You're a human for now, so you no longer deal with your demon energy, you instead have reiki."_

_"So, basically, I will be getting stronger with my powers locked inside?"_

_"Exactly. Now, you'll need a name. Your hair looks like the sun, and you've been alive for a long time. San Chiya. I can already see you feeding your energy off the sun."_

_"What do you mean? I feed my energy off of the moon."_

_"As a human you don't. Now, come see me when you can walk and we'll see how much training you actually remember form your past life," the woman commands, walking away. She is left on the ground, struggling to stand properly._

_..._

Yusuke was standing in the ring, the moment of truth about to begin. To everyone's surprise, Sakyo had walked up instead of Toguro. He walked up to Juri, taking the microphone from her.

"I'd like to place on last bet before the last match begins. Of course being the team owner, I'm going to wager on Team Toguro. As for the particular stakes, I offer up my life. I'm doing this as a man of the people, and in that fame I must always strive to give the people the competition they desire. Of course this will only work if the team owner and the tournament committee can agree to my terms," Sakyo finished, turning to Koenma.

"His head's gone haywire, who just goes and bet's their own life like that?" said Kuwabara.

"Yeah, I'll do it!" piped up Koenma. San looked at him in alarm. Was he stupid? "I accept your challenge, I am placing my life on Yusuke to win."

"Koenma!" Yusuke yelled at him.

"Now, I know how you feel about me, but please don't let that get in your way. At least look like your trying to win."

"Are you stupid? You do something like betting your life and then get to be sarcastic about it?" San questioned, walking up to him.

"I don't see why your objecting, it sounds like something you would do."

"I wouldn't bet my life and then act like its nothing! My life was in danger unintentionally at the beginning of this tournament and I wasn't going around acting like everything was okay!"

"Enough San," Kurama commanded. She knew it wasn't a suggestion, that stern look in his eye and the tone of voice. He wasn't pack leader, that he knew, but she could only get away with so much with him as her lover. She sighed, dropping the subject.

"Attention everyone!" said the voice over the big speaker, "The tournament committee will take ten minutes to consider this!" and that meant that there was extra time before the final match. Toguro and Sakyo walked away, while her team stayed put. What was the use of leaving? Ten minutes wasn't very long anyway, and it seemed to just fly by. San spent it thinking about this next match, and Kuwabara's fate. She was hoping it wouldn't come down to it, but she knew that it would depend solely on Yusuke. She turned and looked at her mate. He was talking among the rest of the team. If he only knew how much she truly loved him, and how upset she was that she might die in the next few hours. It seemed unfair, she had just found him again, but she knew that she had to do this. Kuwabara couldn't die, there was no way she could allow it. She would never be able to live with herself knowing that she had the power to stop this, not again. Toguro and Sakyo had returned. The last fighters were standing in the ring, Juri just about to declare the match to begin when they heard a familiar laugh. No way... It was the elder Toguro, he rose from the stage.

"I'm willing to bet that you weren't expecting to see me. At least not in this life time!" he yelled, continuing to laugh.

"I killed you, I know I killed you, why won't you die!" said Kuwabara in disbelief.

"Perception of death is different from reality. The simplest mind will believe what it wants to. Before my wounds were fatal, I liquefied and seeped through the stage. I then waited to hear that the betting was closed, just so I could emerge triumphantly. We're going to be rich! You and your pals should know by now that you can't defeat my brother and me unless we want you to. Fortunately my brother wanted to beat Genkai, but we all know what happened there," San changed into her wolf form. She was growling, baring her teeth at this demon. She was sick of his insults towards Genkai, "It's a shame you couldn't have cradled her body in your arms when she was younger. She was a real wild cat those days, and not just in the heat of battle if you know what I mean. The things she did with my brother, hm, I wouldn't have minded having a pass at her myself... back then anyway. You might get a chance yourself, after we send you back to her," San's energy was powering up fast. Fuck this guy!

"Let's go!" Kuwabara was also angry.

"It's not your fight," she heard Kurama say. She was surprised he wasn't there trying to restrain her.

"The hell it isn't!"

"The call is not left to the interloper."

"Huh?"

"Only those two can determine how this match will be fought."

"Huh?"

"You'll see."

"What will it be brother? Any weapon you want. A dagger? A sword? A semi-automatic machine gun? As long as we work together, this competition is in our grasp!" said the elder Toguro. The younger brother was was looking at the menacing tawny eyes of San, she could tell. He walked up to his older brother.

"No," he stated simply, and then nodded at San. The elder Toguro was protesting, but San lunged with demon speed and tore at his flesh. For everything he did to Kuwabara, and all the shit he said about Genkai, she would get her revenge. She then threw the mangled body towards the younger Toguro, who merely kicked him with little force. The demon went flying up towards the top of the stadium screaming. He landed on his feet and then lunged towards San.

"How could you? Letting that bitch attack me! I'm your older brother and you kicked me you son of a bitch! Your own brother! I'm going to kill the bitch and then come for you!" he shrieked. Kurama noticed she wasn't paying attention, she was calm and not moving.

"San!" he yelled to her, hoping she would see in time. But the younger Toguro just punched him, saving his mate. He killed him, his body completely leaving the stadium.

"I'm sorry but blood can only run so thick. This will be a fair fight between us, down to the letter. This time, we fight for real," said Toguro. He looked down at San and then nodded at her again. She ran of the ring and towards her mate, changing back to her human form once she reached him.

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" he questioned her, as she wiped the blood from her face.

"I don't think you want to know, its the worst tasting thing I've ever had the pleasure of massacring," she replied.

"I meant with the younger Toguro."

"You're giving out an awful lot of commands lately..."

"San."

"Alright, it was nothing, just a mutual respect for Genkai. He understood my rage and let me get it out of my system, probably so that I wouldn't fuck up his match with Yusuke."

"I understand. As a wolf you should have more patience than that."

"Yeah well, since when have I ever been an ordinary wolf?"

"We'll need to work on controlling your rage."

"Good idea, let's try that if we make it out alive."

He sighed, deciding not to argue with her anymore. He instead wrapped an arm around her, and held her close. They watched at the match was about to begin, the one that determined their fate.

...

ta-da! thanks reviewers and readers! :D, i have recently become a beta reader, and i have a community out there called Blargish, so subscribe, help out whatever. Thanks again! :D


	24. Final Fight part 1

The air was still, and the feelings all around them intense. Yusuke. Toguro. The two of them stood in the ring, staring at each other. They waited for Juri to declare their match to begin. It was the most important one, the one that determined all of their fates. Toguro wins, they all die. Yusuke wins, they are free. San had to remind herself to breathe, the anticipation for them to begin causing her to hold her breath. She stood with her mate, who's arm was around her. She could feel him tense up as well, knowing that he was feeling about the same as her. The difference was, he was able to hide it better. Juri finally raised her arm, announcing that the final match would begin. Toguro removed his jacket. They waited for one of them to make a move.

"Well done Yusuke. At last the two of us fight again. Only this time, things are going to be different for you. I'm not throwing this fight for anyone," said Toguro.

"Good, cause now for me, it's personal," responded Yusuke.

"You don't think this is personal for me to?! I'll start with 80 percent!" and Toguro began to glow, his muscles becoming bigger. San didn't find it impressive. Why would you want the inability to wipe your ass or wash your hair? She hated body builders. The ground around him crumbled, and Toguro looked as if he was holding a barrel, or he was really constipated. The aura from his energy was sent around the stadium, killing off the weak apparitions. She felt it then, dropping to her knees. She wasn't weak, so why was it affecting her so?

"Amazing. Toguro's demon energy is so strong that its literally melting the flesh off the weaker apparitions," stated Hiei.

"They're not the only ones. I can't take much more in my present state," said Kurama. She looked at her mate, noticing that he was shaking. Kuwabara stepped back as well, grunting.

"Not a problem," it seemed as if he was having trouble speaking as well, "I can handle it."

"Well actually Kuwabara, no you can't," said Koenma, standing in front of them. San understood, it was being human that made the demon energy so overwhelming, "Now all of you, stick behind me," Koenma commanded, and then erected a shield around them. San felt the pressure decrease and breathed a sigh of relief. Kurama put a hand on her shoulder, to see if she was alright. She looked up, into his green orbs. They were worried, so she nodded at him and stood again. His arm snaked around her shoulders again. He wanted her close, he wasn't sure why, but she needed to be near him.

Yusuke ran at Toguro with incredible speed. He punched the demon in the stomach and Toguro simply gave an uppercut to the chin, knocking Yusuke back. He used his legs to lunge himself towards Toguro again, but muscles just dodged and came up from behind. Yusuke moved in time and kicked Toguro in the head. It had no effect, so Toguro decided it would be best to throw another punch. The sheer wind of it tore up the ground in its path, and had missed Yusuke. The youki threw another punch in the opposite direction, earning the same results. Toguro then charged at Yusuke, getting ready for yet another punch.

"What? Are you crazy? There's no way in hell you can block a straight on punch!" Kuwabara yelled to his friend. Yusuke was just standing there, not making an attempt to move. Toguro was just about to land the punch and then stopped, inches from Urameshi's face. What?

"I see the way you look at me in judgement," said Toguro, retreating his fist, "But you have no idea what its like do you? To lose your beloved."

"Sounds like he should be talking to the us," San muttered under her breath. Kurama nodded, having heard her. Life goes on, the pain becomes manageable, that's what she assumed anyway. Their situation was a bit different than Toguro's.

"No. I don't, and I don't plan on it because I won't let that happen. I actually look forward to growing old with her," Yusuke replied to Toguro. He was clearly talking about Keiko.

"You say that now," said Toguro.

"Stop it. This is between you and me."

"Those fools! Why don't they stop dancing around each other and fight? One must never let emotions enter the ring. That was a mistake," Hiei spoke to himself San assumed. Yusuke and Toguro stood, staring at one another again.

"It's time. You have something to prove to me Urameshi. Show me that your master did not sacrifice her strength for you in vain," said Toguro.

"Right," said Yusuke, making a gun with his fingers, "I'll show you," he kept his hands low, not aiming yet. The air was still yet again. The tension could be cut by a simple breath. San was waiting, she had to be patient, she didn't want any fuck ups. She wanted her freedom, as did the rest of them.

"Oh, she didn't teach you any new tricks? I want to see everything that Genkai gave you."

"Hold on, Urameshi got something from Genkai before she died? Like a gift?" questioned Kuwabara.

"Yes. But not exactly the sort of gift you wrap in a bow Kuwabara. More like her gift, you know, what made Genkai special. She gave him the energy she had stored for decades," answered Koenma.

"How much power did she give him?"

"I don't know, but I'm guessing it all."

"The bulk of it. The rest went to me," San clarified. They all looked at her for a moment, but it was short lived, except for Kurama. San could tell he was thinking, it was just a slight difference in his eyes that was easy to miss.

"This should be fun," stated Hiei. San couldn't agree more.

Yusuke began to focus energy into his right index finger. He was preparing the spirit gun, filled with more power than he ever had.

"Fire!" Kuwabara yelled impatiently. Yusuke raised his arms, taking aim. The anticipation, it was ridiculous. Anytime now. But Yusuke just got rid of the gun and then ran at Toguro, feeding him punches to the stomach. Toguro finally retaliated but missed. They jumped around each other a bit, missing all hits, but the energy from Toguro's creating medium sized to huge explosions. He finally let one go that sent Yusuke and Juri flying, destroying the ring completely. San followed Yusuke's movement, as he was still floating upside down. He took aim and then...

"Spirit gun!" Yusuke fired. The power was huge.

"Bull's Eye!" yelled Kuwabara.

"That's direct hit," said Koenma. Hiei just gasped as San and Kurama looked on with wonder. Toguro screamed, but as to whether or not he was in pain was unclear. He was blown out of the stadium and then some. San could not be sure how far he had gone, but she was truly impressed, so impressed she had to say...

"What an amazing thing," as everything around them was silent.

"Hey lady! Get up and snap out of it! You've got a job to do. There's a fighter out of the ring and you better start counting like your always doing for me," said Kuwabara, pointing in the direction that Toguro was blasted away. Idiot.

"Take a moment to look where Yusuke's standing," said Hiei. Kuwabara looked back, and then he looked at Yusuke.

"Hey, how the heck do you get back in the ring?"

"In this final battle, there will be no boundaries," said Kurama.

"The only rule is kill or be killed," added Hiei. San nodded. Yusuke started walking, to see the damage she assumed. "Yusuke is much stronger now than I ever imagined a human could be."

"And yet, Toguro didn't even bother to block his attack."

"If Toguro can escape a blast like that unscathed, there's no telling what else he could be capable of."

"He's challenging Yusuke, trying to gauge his strength and determine if he'll have to go to full power or not," said San.

"Look, will you guys stop being such 'glass is half empty' kind of people for two seconds? Accept it, there's absolutely no way in hell that guys ever coming back in anything other than an ashtray," said Kuwabara. San took a couple of steps forward, fully aware of Kurama's gaze on her. She watched Yusuke. He knew something, and San could feel that this wasn't over just yet. She could still feel him, and then they saw him approaching, only missing his sun glasses.

"Is that all you got for me? I expected more from Genkai," he said, once he entered the stadium again.

Kuwabara was sputtering, and then he fell to the ground, "He's invincible! That's the only explanation for it."

"That's not good," stated Koenma. Togruo then began to power up, sending a wave of energy towards Yusuke. It wasn't anything too powerful for him.

"I was foolish to depend on you to rise on this occasion. I wanted to test you to see if you were really strong enough to compete with me. Obviously my standing here means that you failed, so there's no need to go to full power. I'll finish this as I am," said Toguro. San narrowed her eyes at the two of them, "My total power would be wasted on you."

"He's not at his full power? I wasn't aware than anyone could get any fuller than that..." said Kuwabara in disbelief.

"Do you think there's any hope left for him," Kurama asked Hiei and San.

"Not really," Hiei answered. San was silent.

Yusuke smirked, wiping the blood from his cheek, "Guess play period is over. Oh well, it was fun."

"What?" asked Toguro, along with other silent questions San was sure. Yusuke then lifted his arm and removed his wrist band. San smiled. She should have known. There was a light emitting from his wrist, wrapping around like a bracelet. He took off the other one, and then his wrists and ankles were glowing, slightly connected. "I should have expected. Spirit cuffs from Genkai."

"I've gotta say, that's a pretty sissy fashion statement. Even for Urameshi man," said Kuwabara.

"Why would he fight Toguro using such a handicap? I hardly understand..." trailed Kurama.

"Easy. It is because he's a cocky fool," said Hiei.

"Yes, he must have inherited it from Genkai, that spirit cuffs that is," said Koenma.

"Uh, will someone please tell me what the heck is going on?" asked Kuwabara.

"Those are spirit cuffs Kuwabara. They lock the bulk of your energy inside. The longer you wear them, the stronger your power becomes, and once they are gone, it is up to the user to control that power. It's something that Genkai uses for training. I also have some, but the difference between mine and his is the duration of time. I've been wearing spirit cuffs for seven years, while he has for only a few days," San explained.

"Seven years?"

"That's right..."

"So if you were to remove them, you would have limitless power at your disposal?" asked Kurama. She nodded at him, looking down at her wrists.

"That's enlightening. If Yusuke dies, you might want to think about that," said Hiei.

"Trust me, I already have," San replied.

The two opponents stood, staring at each other. Yusuke spoke the safety word, "Advitis!" The cuffs broke, and Yusuke's energy flared up. San was about to question why she did not have a safety word, but the power of the human in front of her made it drop out of her mind. The reiki was so strong, glowing brightly and it flew around the stadium in the form of a phoenix. It then landed, surging back into Yusuke.

"Just feel that! His energy's out of control, there's no way Urameshi can lose now!" declared Kuwabara.

Kurama couldn't help but agree, but if San was wearing those cuffs for seven years, and Yusuke's power was this strong, he was trying to imagine what she would be like. She was very powerful now with them on, taking them off could destroy everything within a sixty mile radius easily. He was staring at her in alarm. The only way to know what would happen was if she were to remove them one day and yet, he was actually scared of what would happen if she did.

"Are you really so arrogant Urameshi that you actually thought you could beat me while wearing those spirit cuffs?" asked Toguro.

"Well... yeah, sorta. In truth I may have been a bit cocky," replied Yusuke.

"You wasted enough of my time by underestimating me!" said Toguro. He raised one of his huge arms, pointing at Yusuke, "Fortunately this will be the last time you make that mistake!"

Yusuke charged at Toguro and then disappeared. His agility had improved a hundred fold, and San was impressed.

"Now I see..." said Kurama.

"Where did he go?" asked Kuwabara.

"What an amazing thing..."

Hiei growled, "If you say that again, I will not hesitate to cut out your tongue."

Yusuke appeared in front of Toguro, rapidly punching him as he landed on the ground. He finished his assault with a powerful uppercut to the face. Toguro went flying backwards.

"He's knocked down!" shouted Koenma.

"He's got to be feeling that one!" yelled Kuwabara. The three demons stood with shock on all of their faces. Yusuke didn't stop there, he ran at Toguro again and screamed as he landed another punch while Toguro was on the ground, a hole with a wide range forming. Kurama gasped as everyone else looked on. Yusuke began attacking again.

"This is a very different fight. I... I've never seen Yusuke fight to intensely before," said Kurama. San wanted to move to him again, wanted to feel him, but she couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away.

"You said it, he's like a machine!" agreed Kuwabara. Yusuke's punches stopped abruptly after that, much to everyone's surprise.

"Huh?" San was confused.

"But why?" asked Kurama.

"Don't stop now!" yelled Hiei. What happened? Toguro then rose from his spot and walked out of the hole. He was back to normal size. What the hell?

"I am afraid that a ferocious wolf is laying in wait underneath that placid sheep's façade," said Kurama. San turned to look at him curiously. He caught her gaze and then walked up to her. He put an arm around her and pulled her close, "It's just an expression," he murmured in her ear, after he kissed the side of her head. She turned to watch the fighters again, her head leaning against his heart. It was elevated.

"I know, it's written on his face," said Hiei in response to Kurama's comment.

"At last Yusuke. You've done as I've asked," said Toguro. There was a strange aura around him, he was powering up again. "I've waited a long time for this moment. Now destiny has rewarded my patience," and Toguro's muscles once again began to grow. It was certainly a sight to behold, but holy hell was this intense. The earth began to shake beneath them, and his power was overwhelming. It exploded like a thunderclap, everyone in shock. His energy shot out everywhere, killing off all the apparitions it touched.

"It's hard to tell if Toguro's lost control of his power, or if he's attacking the crowd on purpose," said Kurama. Toguro blocked out the sun with his power, making their surroundings very dark indeed.

"What? Hey, who turned out the lights?" asked Kuwabara.

"Fuck..." San trailed.

"Be careful Yusuke," said Kurama.

"This is it," said Hiei.

"Not looking forward to this..." said Koenma.

"I can't even see myself think!" declared Kuwabara. Idiot. The sun was finally visible again, lighting the stadium. Toguro's demon energy changed him incredibly. He was tall, he was huge, and his skin had changed to a dull grey colour. The finished product was something that made her cringe. She stood in awe of his power, of his appearance. She felt Kurama's hold on her tighten, he was stunned as well. "Urameshi! This is your chance! Finish him off while you can before he reaches full power!" Yusuke just stood there though, as if he was frozen. The last of the preparations were made. Toguro's shoulders stuck out, his neck was simply apart of his head and shoulders, and something stuck out on each side. "Are we certain he doesn't get stronger? You know, I was kicking myself pretty hard before about not feeling this guys power. But now I know that if I had felt it, my head would have exploded all over the damn place."

"Well, you win some and you lose some. I guess that's what makes it gambling," San heard Koenma speak, "It's too bad really, that Yusuke didn't have more time with Genkai before she gave him all of her powers. Just a few more years..."

Toguro stepped forward slowly. He brought his hand up, looking as if he was crushing something. His thumb shot something and it struck Yusuke right in the forehead, sending him back quickly across the ground and crashing into some rubble. San gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. The power! Yusuke stood, blood trickling from his forehead.

"Did you like that one? Unlike your spirit gun, I have an infinite supply," said Toguro. He shot more rapidly, Yusuke blocking them all. There was a cloud of smoke where Yusuke once stood and Toguro then ceased. Yusuke shot up from the smoke and tried to assault Toguro. The demon blocked it with just his thumb. He then retaliated, breaking Yusuke's arm, and sending him back again. San cringed at the sound the arm made. Yusuke was screaming in pain, holding the bruised arm. "I have more power in my thumb than you have in your entire body."

"We'll see. I've got a strong finger myself," said Yusuke, powering his spirit gun.

"Now hit me with everything that you have. You have no idea which shot will be your last."

Yusuke powered, aimed, and shot. The blast went straight at Toguro, and he simply used his chest to thrust it away. He laughed, standing there completely unaffected by it. San gasped again, shaking slightly.

"I consider myself a good judge of human kind. Having formerly been one, I can say there's something missing in your eyes," said Toguro, grabbing Yusuke by his shirt and lifting him into the air, "And that something is fear. It used to be one of your strengths. Without fear you'll never grow stronger as a fighter. I know I've told you that before," Toguro was menacing. He swung his fist making contact with Yusuke's abdomen. He went flying across the arena and into the stands. He hit the wall, hard. San just stood, stunned.

"You're not doing your job, Yusuke Urameshi," said Toguo, "This is the first time I've fought at 100 percent. Clearly there must be a reason. The way you're fighting now I could easily finish you with one punch of my powered up arm. But that's not what I waited all this time for. You have more power that you still have not realized, and this body will bring it out. The techniques Genkai mastered over her years combined with the unnatural talent you were born with, that's everything needed for an ultimate power. For years I've waited for those ingredients to show themselves and now they have. So I must put my strength against yours and know the answer it will give."

"I can't stand this guy, he's trying to beat more power out of Urameshi just so he can have a good time!" said Kuwabara. San didn't think that at all.

"It's the nature of the demon body they gave him, the instinct to tell him to fight," said Koenma.

"Don't sell me short, it's more than that. I may have the instincts to act aggressively, but it's my own choices to follow them through that define what I am," said Toguro.

"No," San stated simply. The others around her stared at her, "He's lost Genkai, someone he loved dearly. He became unstoppable, and that's what he wishes to see. Yusuke has the power to beat him, and Toguro wants to be stopped, he wants to be beaten, but he can't go down without reaching his full power. He needs to know that Yusuke can defeat him at his full strength, both of them trying with everything they've got."

"How do you know that?" asked Kuwabara.

"Because it's obvious in the way he does things. He lead Yusuke here, he's even helping him reach his full potential as they fight, teaching in a way. I've trained with Genkai and Yusuke enough to know how her power reacts, and the way he is with his emotions."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Kuwabara, that we should hope Yusuke can access this power before something drastic happens," said Kurama.

...

_She sits atop the tree of her den. She stares into the moonlight, eyes glazing over in thought. She thinks of her past, of the life she left behind. She thinks of Akatsuki, Yuriko, Yayoi, and Ryo. Four people that were greatly important to her, but are now left behind like the rest of her life. She weeps silently, the seal of the wolf clan clutched in her hand as it hangs off of her neck. This was all she had, and that kitsune tries to take it from her. She smiles thinking about him, knowing that he has plans to return soon. It has been quite a few decades since she last saw him, and she misses him. He is her only friend, and her only enemy. She uses her acrobatic skills to get down from the tree, and enters her den. She walks to her chambers and smiles._

_"I was wondering where you'd gone," he speaks to her from her bed, rising to his feet. She walks up to him as she stares into his golden eyes._

_"I knew you'd be here soon," she replies. He holds her gaze, having missed her himself._

_"I came to retrieve my prize."_

_"Surely you don't mean my seal, because we both know that you are going to leave here without it."_

_"Perhaps ookami, but perhaps not. Maybe this time..." he brings his face closer to hers, her beauty captivating him, "...I'll be the one to leave you breathless," he says in a voice barely above a whisper. She is put in a trance by his voice, and the look in his eyes, the look of longing. The seal is far from his mind, he wants just one kiss from this exquisite creature that stands before him. His fingers graze her cheek, and she feels electric from his touch. Her eyes droop, the spell taking effect. She feels his breath on her lips, and the ghost of his coming towards her. The spell is broken by a crash that takes place at her front door. They turn towards it, as he stands in front of her protectively. Nothing but silence greets them. He turns back to her and stares into her tawny eyes. He reaches a hand out towards her, and feels her cheek once more. He then turns to leave._

_"Stop," she speaks in a commanding voice. He obeys and turns to face her. She walks up to him, and holds out her hand._

_"Yes?" he questions, his eyes full of mischief._

_"Give it back."_

_"Impressive."_

_"Foolish kitsune, you should know better than to think any lower of me."_

_He smirks, giving her back the seal. He then reaches a hand to grab her breast before he dashes off. She is left stunned, but with a small smile._

_..._

_"Moriko!" a voice calls out to her._

_"Ryo, it's been a while," she replies to her friend._

_"Moriko, treachery is going on inside of your realm."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Natsuko is placing Akatsuki's death on you."_

_"No!"_

_"Yes, she is repeating what she has seen to the council, and it doesn't sound good."_

_"That bitch..."_

_"Moriko please, let me take you away from here, away from all of this."_

_"I cannot Ryo. You live in a world of shadow, one that preys upon victims to sustain life. I belong to the light, I cannot live in the world of darkness."_

_"You're a demon Moriko, you already belong to the world of darkness."_

_"I do not wish to lurk in the shadows, feeding upon blood. I am already a wolf, I cannot become a vampire as well, my destiny does not reside there__."_

_"Moriko..."_

_"I'm sorry Ryo. How long has it been since you last fed?"_

_"A week."_

_She moves her hair from her neck, "Feed Ryo, I do not wish you to die of starvation." Her friend sinks his fangs into her flesh, feeding off of her blood. He does not take much, just enough to live until his next feeding. He stares into her tawny eyes, and she can see the sorrow he lives with. Her fate is not with this man, it is with one who holds golden eyes, and she must find him to know more of her journey. He knows this, but still tries to alter her life to his will. She watches him go, and then goes to find her adviser, Yayoi._

_..._

and there you have it.. sorry for the delay, thanks everyone! :)

p.s, i looked for the actual safety word, but couldn't find it, so that what i heard, thats what i came up with.. if anyone knows it, feel free to let me know and i will be glad to update it, thanks :)


	25. Final Fight part 2

Toguro was finally revealed. The sheer aura of his power killed all the weak demons. San feared for the girls, but it seemed that Puu had managed to shield them from any harm. Yusuke was near them, on the third floor of the stands due to the tremendous force of his enemy's punch. They were all waiting, waiting to see what would happen next. Which one of them would move first? What was going to happen from here? Toguro was at full power, and still trying to get Yusuke to unleash his full power as well. So here she stood, in the protective arm of her mate, waiting. She felt safe where she was, but that could just be because Toguro was focused on Yusuke and not them.

"Without my conscious decisions, my body has only impulses that will quickly fade away. Let me show you what I mean," said Toguro. The weird things on his shoulders began to suck up the souls out of all the weak apparitions. There were still many, and the agonized screams pierced San's ears. This was wrong, and she cringed at every shriek she heard. Kurama wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her close. His hand was on her head, as his chin rested on the top of her head, his gaze still on the events in front of him. "Remaining at top strength is demanding and my body gets an impulse to devour souls. But its not until I decide to kill that the feeding begins. I've chosen evil, and in twenty minutes, everyone will be gone. Aren't you going to do something to stop me Urameshi? Or will your friends have to watch as you let these people die?"

Toguro sent out his soul sucking energy around the ring. It was coming towards them, Kurama moving to protect San, but Koenma erected yet another shield. He could feel her shake, the way Toguro fed disturbing her. Most of the demons began to flee, trying to get out of the stadium. San pulled herself a bit loose from her mate to see what was going on. She watched as Sakyo pulled out some device and then she felt the ground shake slightly. Why did none of this affect him? He was human... right? He had locked all of them in, making sure that they couldn't escape. The protests were clear in her ears. Fed up, some of them started to charge Toguro, but he easily killed them and ate their souls with his shoulders.

"Monster..." she trailed.

"All you weaklings had best remain in your seats. Yusuke and I have some disagreeable tempers," said Toguro.

"Shut up Toguro!" said Yusuke, jumping up from where he was and heading towards his enemy, fist at the ready. "Don't you ever put me in the same category as you!" He landed his punch to Toguro's forehead. The hit exploded with spirit energy, but Toguro just stood there as if nothing happened.

"Now we're starting to get somewhere. So it's your refusal to admit how much you and I are similar that makes you lash out at me." Yusuke ignored the demon and continued to feed him punches. The crowd began to cheer, and San could hear Kuwabara getting angry at them. She didn't understand why he cared so much.

"The opinion polls have changed," stated Hiei. Him to? He was the last person she expected to care about what a bunch of idiot demons thought. Yusuke continued to rapidly punch Toguro, but it didn't seem to make a difference. Finally, Toguro retaliated, using barely any force. He punched Yusuke and the human went flying. He was quick though, he landed and then went straight back towards the monstrosity that is Toguro. Muscles just blocked his punch easily.

"You know that's not good enough," said Toguro, squeezing Urameshi's fist. He swung Yusuke by his arm and then landed another punch to his gut. He was repaying the rapid punches, attacking the detective with barely any force. The assault finished with a kick, and Yusuke was down. He stayed on the ground for a while, and then Toguro walked up to him. "Sorry Urameshi, but there's no escape from me now," he said, stepping on his abdomen. San cringed at what kind of pain he would be feeling, "I won't let you avoid your problems forever. The only thing waiting does is cause more people to die." More screams, more souls, they were all Toguro's now. Yusuke was trying to stop Toguro's foot from crushing him again. "You see I become something of a different person when I take my full demon form. I'll do anything to get what I desire!" Toguro looked towards the girls. San gasped, leaving the safety of Kurama's arms and turning to look herself. The demon was getting ready to attack, and then he unleashed it.

"No..." San's eyes were wide. She was hoping to hell that Puu's barrier could stop it. The smoke had to move, she had to see. She breathed a sigh of relief, Toguro had missed, and San was sure it was on purpose. Yusuke was angry, and his energy exploded. He punched Toguro, actually looking like it made a difference this time. It didn't. Toguro knocked Yusuke away easily.

"You're an incredible disappointment. I went through so much of the assumption that you would be the one person who could fight me. If I'm proven wrong, you'll pay for it... Dearly," said Toguro. Yusuke looked as if he was struggling to get up.

"No! Don't give up now Urameshi!" said Kuwabara. San looked down sadly. Something unexpected happened just then. Puu had come flying down to them, and hovered in front of San. She looked at the creature curiously. The look on the face reminded her so of...

"San," it was Genkai, "It's time, we're out of options," her mentor said to the tawny eyed girl. The wolf demon nodded, and could already feel the questioning stares coming from her mate. Puu/Genkai flew away towards Yusuke and Toguro. San turned, looking into the eyes of her mate. They walked to each other, and she kissed his cheek. They turned as Genkai began to speak, "You will never let this old woman have some peace and quiet, will you Yusuke?"

"Genkai's come back to life and she look exactly like Puu!" yelled Kuwabara. Idiot.

"Toguro. If you want to see Yusuke's real power come to the surface, I'll tell you how. He's very predictable. The only thing you have to do is kill one of his friends, and make sure he's watching."

"Genkai, what the hell's the matter with you?" demanded Yusuke.

"Yusuke has a six feet wall of crap between him and his emotions and that's where his true power lies. To break through that wall you have to do something drastic like killing someone he really cares for."

"Dying must have ruined your heart Genkai!"

"Open your childish eyes dimwit. If you don't stop Toguro everyone in this stadium dies and damnit, if the life of one friend is what it takes for you to save the rest of them, that that sacrifice is worth it."

"NO! You're nothing but a stupid little hypocrite. You told me to commit to something all the way and I chose my friends. Now you're saying that killing one of them for motivation is okay?"

Genkai used Puu's wing to slap Yusuke across the face, "Sorry Yusuke, but this is the world you stuck yourself into and it's not pretty. When you're not strong enough to lead you lose the privilege of getting what you want." It seemed as if the two were sharing a moment. But Toguro used his stupid finger bullets and attacked them both. San growled, that was Genkai damnit! She recovered, flying and standing where the wall of the stands were. She crossed her arms and kept that look that San would remember until the end of her days.

"I had that idea a while back and I didn't like the way it felt. But if nothing else can bring out your true abilities... Well you heard before, I'll do anything. All I have to do is chose which one," said Toguro, looking towards them. San detached herself from Kurama, staring back at this monster defiantly, as were the rest of them.

"Don't do this..." Yusuke tried to make it sound like a warning. They stood, staring and waiting.

"How about you, Kuwabara?" Toguro suggested. This was it, her vision was going to come into play. San looked down at the ground, sneaking her hand back into her mates. He squeezed it, though San knew that he was not going to be happy in the next few minutes. "Urameshi does appear to be the most protective of you. Let's see you bring out his hidden emotions. I'll make this quick," said Toguro, and began to walk towards them. San practically held her breath. Her vision was going to come true unless she did something about it. Yusuke was trying to stop Toguro, but his heart clearly wasn't in it enough. Toguro knocked him back, but Yusuke didn't stay down for long. No matter what the human tried, muscles just threw him around.

"If he makes it over here, the four of us must fight him together," said Kurama to Hiei and San.

"With what secret weapon? You've barely been able to stand up since your flirting with death, and she's nearly drained completely," said Hiei.

"Yes, your darkness flame technique hasn't left much of you either. We could run if you want?"

"Don't be simple. I'll take Toguro alone if I must."

"You're stupid. If it comes down to it, I will unleash my cuffs and most likely kill everything in a wide radius," said San.

"No. There would be no point to that," Kurama told her.

"You do know this is your own fault right? For living in a state of repression," said Toguro, as he once again knocked Yusuke away. He got up, getting ready to fire a spirit gun. Toguro moved swiftly and was behind Yusuke. He grabbed the humans head, making it look puny in his huge hand. "Relax Yusuke. I'll free you up," said Toguro, forcing Yusuke's face into the ground and then continuing on his journey.

"Ready?" asked Kurama, taking a fighting stance with San. Hiei prepared as well.

Kuwabara put his foot down, literally, "Stay back guys, I'm the one he wants.

"Are you fucking retarded?" asked San in outrage.

"Just stop and think Kuwabara," said Kurama.

"It's no time for your showmanship. Face Toguro alone now and die before this minute is through," said Hiei. He really did care. But the human was looking at Koenma. San sighed sadly, this was really going to happen. She looked at Kurama, her eyes filled with sorrow. It really wasn't fair, she loved him so much, and she had just found him again. But she couldn't stand by knowing this was going to happen do nothing.

"Hey Koenma, you risked your life on Urameshi's fight and now I'm going to do the same," said Kuwabara, "So make a place for me, and make sure my wake is as good as his."

"Kuwabara..." trailed Koenma, at a loss for words.

"There's no stopping him, and if I'm going to go now, I'm going to go charging at full speed!" San was kind of relieved to hear that, it was easy to out-run him, "A mulberry's a tree, Kuwabara's a man, and I'll prove it. We all have to die when our time comes-"

San stopped listening, Kuwabara was moving forward, getting ready. She had to as well. She hugged Kurama. He assumed it was because of Kuwabara that she was getting emotional. He didn't want to lose his friend either. She looked into his green orbs, trying to keep them in her mind, as well as the eyes of Youko. She kissed her mate deeply, a tear falling down her cheek. He pulled her close, having this strange feeling that this was a farewell of sorts. He wiped the tear, looking at her confused.

"Eien ni anata o ai shimasu, Kurama..." she whispered in his ear. Kuwabara was running at full speed. She took off, Kurama taking a moment to realize what was going.

-Hold him back- she spoke into Hiei's mind just as she ran past him. She was running at her demon speed, and just as Toguro was about to strike she was there. He looked confused at first, but did not stop his attack. It went straight through her and onto Kuwabara, missing his heart, but injuring him nonetheless. She could feel herself growing weak. She used her energy to block her vitals, but that didn't make this wound any less fatal. She had a hole in her chest that came out of her back. She fell to the ground, knowing that she had done her duty. The world went black after she heard the faint cry of her name.

"SAN!" Kurama screamed, trying to run to her. Hiei grabbed his arm before he could get very far. He looked at the small fire apparition in confusion. He stared back at his mate in horror. His heart stopped, time stopped. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. He watched her body fall to the ground with Kuwabara's, the sound loud in his ears. Toguro disappeared and Hiei finally let go of Kurama. He ran to his mate, wishing, hoping that she wasn't... He knelt down, using his arms to bring her head towards him. He checked for a pulse, but could only feel his own within his fingers. "San..." he hugged her body to him, kissing her forehead and resting his head on top of hers. He began to feed her his energy, hoping that it would help.

"Kurama..." she had to get him to focus, to check on Kuwabara.

"San?"

She couldn't open her eyes, it was hard enough to talk, "Pay... attention... Kuwa... bara..." and she passed out again, unable to take anymore.

"San... I love you, please don't die on me," he whispered to her. He set her down gently, and went to check on Kuwabara. His pulse was strong. What?

"Yeah, Toguro missed my vitals, but keep looking at me like your sad. Urameshi could use some, shock treatment," said Kuwabara, pretending to pass out. Now Kurama understood. San must have known this would happen, and Genkai would have worked it out with the wolf. She knew that Kuwabara was going to die, and Kurama knew that she couldn't stand there and let it happen. But why didn't she tell him?

"That's anti-climatic You knew him for so long and now he's dead. And then there's the other apprentice, the one you trained with, knows the same things you know. She was going to be my next choice, followed by her mate. Was that sufficient enough for you? Or do I really do need to kill off her mate just so you get the point?" said Toguro. Kurama glared at him, standing in defiance again. Yusuke stood, and looked as if he disappeared, but he just moved behind Toguro. "So I guess that was enough."

"You took my teacher... And now I let you take not only one, but two of my friends... What the hell do you want from me?" asked Yusuke, his powers exploding all around. They were finally released, and Kurama was hoping that Toguro would be satisfied. His energy was different than before.

"Alright Toguro, you've got what you wished for," Kurama spoke in anger.

"Don't you think I wanted to use my power, win this thing and go home? Of course... I just didn't know how to reach it, and I have to live with that."

"Maybe not for long Yusuke," responded Toguro.

"I've been pathetic, but I won't let you take away anymore of my friends..."

"The energy inside of Yusuke's body is changing dramatically," observed Kurama.

"The loss of his friends is too great a shock, the walls are coming down," said Koenma. Yusuke was walking slowly, his head hanging.

"Now lets do this. I've already said I'll never forgive you. Now I'll never forgive myself, so lets do this," said Yusuke.

"I need to thank you Yusuke, for finally realizing your power. You see I couldn't finish this story with satisfaction, until you had become like me. Now, your power has reached the level of mine!" declared Toguro, running at Yusuke. He just stood there.

"That's a load of crap Toguro..."

"Is that so?" and Toguro punched Yusuke, but it looked as if he felt nothing, even as he flew backwards. He hit the stadium wall once again, but to Kurama it looked like he didn't feel a thing. "You see? I can tell that didn't actually hurt you. Earlier that punch would've left you unconscious, but now you can take it without even blocked and still get up to fight. If that's not a sign of equal power, then what is?"

"You were right about one thing Toguro, that punch didn't hurt me," said Yusuke, beginning to rise to his feet.

"Yusuke's finally done it. He's learned how to battle on a level playing field with Toguro," said Hiei.

"Level, and yet, at the same time it's completely different," said Kurama. Yusuke's energy flared, mixing with Toguro's. Kurama could just feel, he was done listening. He looked over at his mate, knowing that she wanted him to focus on the match. He tried, but still had her in the back of his mind. Why he listened to her, he wasn't sure, but she was right in a sense. Kurama stood when he heard that Toguro wanted to kill another one of them. Fine, he would be next. Yusuke stopped him, the ground beneath them starting to crumble. Kurama's ears blocked out sound again. He just watched, but at the same time, felt as if he wasn't there. His attention snapped back when he saw the force of Yusuke's punch affect Toguro. Another spirit gun right after that, the most powerful he had seen.

"He's super Yusuke," said Koenma.

"Even his strategies have improved," said Kurama. Toguro was down

"Get on your feet. I'm going to fire one last shot with all I've got and it's going to end this fight one way or another. So no more stupid surprises or fakes. You show me everything you've got right now. If I win this time, I don't ever want to see you back up," said Yusuke. Toguro stood, bending his head back in place. Kurama was sure San would've cringed at the sound.

"The eyes of determination, I've encountered them many times on glory seeking fools, and I've always given them what they want. Nearly always its a fight with me, and when I see them I'm obliged to kill. But you've actually asked me for all I've got. So be it," said Toguro. He started changing again, increasing his muscle mass again. "I admit I haven't been truthful. What I said was 100 was more like 85. To fully become a master of a trade, you must commit your all to it and throw everything else away. If you don't do that, then you'll remain a groundling."

"Damn your stupid, you didn't throw it away. You just ran away from it, like a frightened little child! I won't run, and I won't let go!" Yusuke began to charge his spirit gun, "I'm doing just what you said Genkai, I'm caring about you jerks! I don't care if I never fire a blast again, I don't care if I die. The only thing I want to do is fire this shot with everything I have."

Toguro began to scream as he powered up as well. Yusuke's spirit gun was powerful, and the light was very bright. Kurama could feel it, the tremendous power from both of combatants. "They'll put their full powers against each other," he thought out loud.

"I guess all we can do now is pray and let the man upstairs decide," said Koenma. Kurama managed to think of San's response. She would bluntly point out that Koenma was the man upstairs, even at a time like this, but Kurama just couldn't bring himself to do it. This one attack, this was going to decide how this match would end. Yusuke was getting ready to fire. After what felt like eternity, he did, and Toguro charged at it, trying with all of his might to resist it. "Toguro's barely able to hold it back," Koenma pointed out.

"Yes, it is unusual to see him on the defensive," Kurama stated. The light started to die, "He's fading..." The gun was complete, and Yusuke fell to his knees.

"Toguro has not released himself from the spirit gun yet," said Hiei.

"But if his blast is not enough to make him fall, Yusuke will not have no more power left to fight him. Toguro will triumph."

"You sound as if you don't care anymore."

"I'm not quite certain at this present moment."

"Come on Yusuke, make it work!" said Koenma. Toguro was being knocked back by the blast, and Kurama could hear cracking. Finally, the blast was gone and Toguro was left smoking. Yusuke fell, and Toguro walked towards Yusuke.

"I killed Genkai, but one remained. And now that surviving peace can at last be put to rest," said Toguro, his body beginning to crack. "Thank you again, Yusuke Urameshi," were his last words. The grey coloured skin completely broke off, revealing the human inside. Toguro fell, lifeless. It was over.

"They're both out?" questioned Koenma. Juri had finally made an appearance, going to observe Toguro, but then, Kurama saw Yusuke rise to his feet. "He did it!"

"We are free... but at what cost?" said Kurama, looking towards his mate. She hadn't moved since he last saw her, since she had been hit. "Finally... The Toguro's fall."

"Hn. It's been quite a long run," said Hiei.

"All I can think about is how much our young sapling has improved in this tournament. That and the whole saving my life thing," said Koenma. Yusuke fell to the ground once again, and the others ran towards him. Kurama held him up.

"Easy does it. No sleeping yet," he spoke to the champion. The teen remained unresponsive, "Yusuke snap out of it! You have your victory!"

"Am I alive?" asked Yusuke.

"Of course, do you see any halo's on us? Everything is a-okay now," answered Koenma. Yusuke looked up, straight at the still forms of Kuwabara and San. Kurama looked over at her as well.

"No it's not," declared Yusuke, "No it's not! DAMNIT! I had all the strength to save them, I was just too dumb to realize it, what the hell do I say to that, huh?"

"You say you learned..." trailed Kurama.

"Shut up, what good is that going to do? They're already dead, I can't say anything to them now. Not even you can say anything to her, is that so hard to get? I'm just like everybody else with power, I don't do anything to help. I'm sorry San. I'm sorry Kuwabara, it's all my fault!" Yusuke was on a rant. Kuwabara stood then, the façade finally over.

"Okay! I think you've done enough groveling for one day, though it is pretty entertaining. Reporting for duty, captain faker! That's me," said Kuwabara in a cheery voice.

"Hey, why's the dead guy walking around?" Yusuke questioned Kurama.

"Yes, well... I tried to inform you, but you were too engrossed in your speech," the fox answered.

"The heart! The finger poking!" demanded Yusuke.

"You're a moving public speaker... by the way," Kurama moved back a bit and rose to his feet, "Look, he never died," and Kurama went on to briefly explain what happened.

"How does it feel to be out of the loop?" asked Kuwabara. Kurama didn't care anymore at that point. He walked over to his mate, who wasn't going to get back up. He could faintly hear Yusuke punishing Kuwabara for deceiving him. He knelt down beside her again, a tear escaping down his cheek. He moved some hair out of her face, and lifted her towards him again. He used one hand to cup her cheek and stroked it with his thumb gently. She was still warm, but there was no pulse within her. She was dead, gone. She wasn't going to wake up, he would never see those gorgeous tawny eyes again.


	26. Departure

Yusuke had won, had beaten Toguro. San had saved Kuwabara, but where did that leave Kurama? He wished that she would wake up, that she really wasn't going to die. It wasn't fair! He had just gotten her back, and now she had to leave him again. He wished she knew how much he loved her, how much he really cared for her. She knew all of this was going to happen, she saved a life. He didn't understand why she didn't tell him. The answer was locked away with her lifeless body. He hugged it to his, hoping that miraculously she would hug him back, say it was all a game. But that wasn't going to happen. Kuwabara was getting beat up by Yusuke for faking, Kurama wished that San was faking. No pulse, there was nothing, and yet, he couldn't figure out why she was still so warm.

"Wait," Kurama heard Yusuke speak, "Is San...?"

"Hey yeah, where is San anyway? I haven't heard her make a dumb comment in a while," said Kuwabara. Kurama let go of yet another tear, and he could hear the others running towards him. Kurama stared at her face again, wishing that it would respond.

"Please..." he whispered at her, but she remained still. Yusuke knelt down in front of them. He put a hand to her forehead, looking with eyes full of sorrow.

"Kurama, I'm sorry... I couldn't..." began Yusuke.

Kurama shook his head, "She saved Kuwabara," he said. It was enough to justify her death, and possibly make the others feel okay about it. Kurama wasn't even sure of what he felt, but it was definitely a great pain.

"When did that happen?" asked Kuwabara.

"The same time Toguro struck you. San knew... she knew that Toguro wouldn't miss, so she got in front of you, and her body made it so that Toguro wouldn't kill you," explained Kurama.

"Wow, I didn't even notice..." trailed Kuwabara.

"You wouldn't, even with your powers. Her speed is great, almost as good as mine," said Hiei. A thought occurred just then. He looked at the small demon.

"Hiei, is it possible to reach her?" it was worth a shot, maybe she was still inside.

Hiei looked down and shook his head no, "There's no answer..."

That was the worst thing he could hear. He could feel his heart tear into pieces. His beloved was dead, there was no avoiding it. More tears, tears that he hid from the others. Yusuke moved his hand as Kurama pulled her close. They stood for moments, taking that time to mourn her death. Kurama's tears finally stopped, and he kissed her forehead once more before setting her down and standing with the rest of them. The ground began to shake, indicating that it was time to push this aside for now.

...

_She is in her den, and cooks for the night. She hums slightly, her tail sways in a slow motion. It is glossy, and hypnotic. He watches her from the shadows, trapped in a spell. He finally walks towards her, and takes her in his arms. She sighs contently, as she leans back into him. He marvels at her beauty, bending slightly to kiss her cheek. Her skin is soft, her aroma is intoxicating, her hair is like silk, and her eyes portray nothing but love for him. He kisses her, finger running along her bare neck. She turns to face him, still attached, and pulls him closer, fingers interlaced with his silver hair. She is warm, and makes him feel as if the world is at his feet. Life would be nothing without her. They pull away from each other slowly, the ghost of her lips still residing on his. He gazes into her tawny eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. Her breath is heavy and warm on his face, and he loves every minute of it. Unable to take anymore, she kisses him again, fiercely. It is filled with passion, and he wraps his tails around her. The next moments are filled with love, the food long forgotten. The world of bliss, the greatest escape. It will never end. They remain close to one another, enjoying a day off._

_"This is nice," she speaks as she leans against his chest._

_"Yes. We deserve it," he responds._

_"When will we join with the others again?"_

_"Soon koishii, our next mission does not lie far from here."_

_"It has been so long since we've come to this place."_

_"Do you miss it?"_

_"Sometimes. I prefer hunting with you and the pack. The time I spent here was in solitude, aside from your visits. I enjoyed our game."_

_He smirks, "As did I beloved. It will last all eternity."_

_"I look forward to it, Youko."_

_..._

_"Queen Moriko, there is something here that needs your urgent attention," says Yayoi, her closest friend and adviser._

_"What is it?" she asks._

_"Two bandits have broken in and stolen one of our most prized possessions."_

_"Do you have the identity of them?"_

_"Only one, the bandit Youko Kurama."_

_"He is said to become a legend."_

_"Many have said that about you as well my Queen."_

_"What have we done about this?"_

_"We send the guards after them and only caught one. We await your orders."_

_"This would be my first real act as Queen."_

_"I'm well aware of that your majesty, but you must act in a way that shows the others how you deal with such abominations."_

_"I cannot let it go, nor can I lock it up in the dungeon. The only thing I can do is kill it."_

_"Life is cruel at times. If it makes you feel better, even if you locked him up, he would die soon anyway."_

_"I suppose. That is my official decision then. Behead the beast. Let's hope this never happens again, I do not like taking lives."_

_"Yes your majesty."_

_She watches Yayoi leave. She then decides to see what had happened. She takes the secret passageways to get out of the walls of the realm. She walks in the forest towards the stench of blood. She sees where it happened, the body being moved. She scouts the area, catching a scent that makes her brain think twice. It was the one that got away. She remembers hearing about such a bandit, and feels that she will encounter him in days to come. Something catches her eye, and she proceeds towards it. There, in the ground is a pendant shaped like a rain drop, and a red jewel in the middle of it. She picks it up and observes it. She decides to keep this, feeling the death on her hands. She knows she will always regret this day._

_..._

The stadium was coming down. Sakyo had did something, something that caused Shizuru and Koenma to disappear. He was leveling the stadium, destroying it completely. It was only to take his own life, but Kurama suspected it was something more than that. He was helping Yusuke, leaving San's body behind. It took a few moments to get Keiko back to reality, but they were on their way out. The walls were crumbling, and they ran towards safety, passed the surviving audience. Everyone was in a state of panic, and it only made things worse when they came to a dead end. Huge amounts of rubble blocked their path, making escape impossible.

"What now?" asked Kuwabara.

"Get out of the way, I'll bust through," answered Yusuke.

"Yusuke, you know you don't have strength left," Kurama had to remind him.

"Well neither do you so what's our choice?"

"What can we do? We don't have time to find a new exit!" stated Botan. The announcer voice had declared that there were two minutes until the stadium detonated. It seemed hopeless, until a blast came from the other side. The smoke cleared rather fast, revealing their saviours.

"How goes it mate?" asked Chu. He was standing on top of the rubble with Rinku, Touya and Jin. Kurama noticed that Jin was carrying San's body. Now wasn't the time for questions however, though he was relieved to see them.

"A lot better now I guess," Yusuke spoke.

"Well don't just stand there like a bludger, let's go. We can't just let our champions get hurt now."

"Right he is. When the tourny next year comes around we'll have to face you ourselves and we'll have no muscles on us and woo-wee, you'll go zippin' and we'll be the champions of that one!" said Jin in his thick upbeat accent. Kurama smiled, knowing that San would like this demon.

"Right, whatever he said," Yusuke agreed. They pushed forward, stopping only for a moment at Puu's arrival. They made it out alive, the stadium blowing up. Koenma and Shizuru were coming out of the smoke, making it out safely. They watched the rubble smoke.

"So, it's over now," said Kuwabara.

"Yeah... It finally is," confirmed Yusuke. They had a short moment of silence, and then Botan screamed in outrage.

"What's the matter Botan?" asked Kuwabara.

"The prizes for winning the tournament! You were each supposed get whatever you wanted. We didn't even get a souvenir mug!" she explained.

"Oh, I was going to get famous!"

"What a crock!"

"It doesn't matter," Yusuke interrupted them, "Those bastards up in the tournament committee, they couldn't have given us what we wanted anyway."

"And uh, what did we want again?" but then Botan gasped in realization. Kurama knew what he wanted. He thought about her, the agony coming back to him. Though he knew that everyone was wishing for Genkai, he wanted San back more than anything. And not just San, the demon that resided within her. His beloved Moriko. Yusuke shouted something, but all Kurama could think about was her tawny eyes, her sun touched hair, her sense of humour, her mysterious ways, her loyalty, her companionship, and the way she loved him. A tear fell as he looked down. Jin and Chu walked up to him. He looked, Chu holding her. They stopped in front of him, offering her body to him.

"We didn't think it was right to leave your sheila there mate," Chu explained.

"Very sorry about your loss, a great demon she was, best bring her home and give her the proper burial she deserves right?" Jin spoke. Kurama's head was in a haze. He reached out his arms and took her body. She was still warm, and he found that strange. He checked her pulse again, but still felt nothing. He looked up at the two demons and nodded.

"Thank you," he spoke softly. He could see the sad looks that they gave him, as they stared at her face. The colour was still there, she was still so warm. But how was this possible without a pulse? The apparitions left, and Kurama returned to the hotel with the others.

"You know, it's kind of creepy that you're still carrying her around," said Kuwabara.

"I'm taking her to the temple, and letting her rest there," Kurama explained.

Yusuke put a hand on his shoulder, "She would like that Kurama. Hell, I'll even show you her favourite place."

"Thank you."

...

"That's all the quiet staring I can handle," said Yusuke, throwing his bag over his shoulder. They were packed, getting ready to leave this island for good, "Let's get out of here okay?"

"Right," said Kuwabara.

"After all this time it's going to feel weird not fearing for my life."

"Don't sweat it Urameshi, I can beat you up at school everyday if that makes you feel better."

"Yusuke is right. Normal life for us all will seem... pale... for a while," said Kurama, looking at San again. She was still warm to his touch.

"Puu!" announced the spirit animal. It had flown to the window.

"Hey, there you are," said Yusuke. He opened the window for the creature, "Alright Puu. I didn't think you'd ever come back after Genkai started talking through you." Yusuke held the animal in his hand, "You're kind of like a telephone to the other side, aren't you? Well, what are you waiting for operator, patch me into grandma. Come on, which sides your receiver? What, you'll do it for her and not for me? You're my spirit animal you know?"

Kurama couldn't take anymore, "Stop it," but Yusuke ignored him, "Yusuke. It's not possible anymore."

"What do you mean?"

The fox looked at his mate once more, "The spirit world Genkai spoke from is the land between the living and the dead."

"I thought that humans went to spirit world when they died?" asked Kuwabara.

"Yes, for a short time. But it's merely a junction from which their real journey begins. In truth, Rekai is a complex system of many separate worlds. And with the lands of the dead, there is no communication. Genkai's was a priority case, her placement should have been quick. Listen to me Yusuke, it's time we've said our good bye's to her, for real."

"It's so dumb," commented Yusuke.

"We just got to let her go," said Kuwabara.

"Fine!" snapped Yusuke, but not in a negative way. He turned around with what looked like a forced smile on his face, "You heard fox boy, there's nothing we can do for the old hag if she's already limp. Just got to keep on truckin'. Yes sir! I'm going to go outside and make myself a shiny new first place medal, sit in the sun, and have stupendous fucking day damnit!" were his last words as he headed out the door. Kurama was sure San would laugh at that, and he sighed at his last thought. Perhaps he should take a note from Yusuke.

"Well alright Urameshi, can you make me a medal to?"

"Hn. He's so neck deep in repression, even I feel sorry for him," said Hiei. Puu flew away after him. Kuwabara was the next to leave. Kurama waited for Hiei to leave, but suspected he wouldn't. The small fire apparition walked over to the fox and the wolf. Kurama looked at him curiously. "You need to get yourself out of repression too, lest you become as delusional as the detective."

"I'm merely bringing her back to where she belongs," said Kurama. He looked out the window, "Chu and Jin were right, leaving her body to be crushed was the wrong thing to do. And yet, I feel as if I was doing it purposely, just so that she would rise from the dead to reprimand me."

"Amazing how like her you've become," was Hiei's last comment. He left to go with the others. Kurama looked back at San and knelt down beside her. He took her hand, noting yet again that it was warm. He kissed her forehead.

"Forgive me for not being able to see, San. I know how you feel about being able to see such sorrow, and stand by while it happens. I do not blame you for what you did, I just wish you would have told me. If there was some possible way to reverse this, I would sacrifice everything I had, just to see your smile again. Good-bye my koishii," he spoke to her. She remained unresponsive. He stood, bringing her with him as he approached the lobby, where the others waited.

...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the final boat back to the mainland will board within the hour. Please complete your checkout and proceed to the dock for departure. I repeat, this is the final trip off the island. We hope you enjoyed your stay," Kurama heard the announcer. The four champions sat in the lobby, enjoying some coffee.

"Geeze, what's taking these girls so long?" questioned Kuwabara,"We're going to get left."

"Not everyone packed just one set of clothes," said Kurama.

"It's just like family vacation, my dumb sister's always making us late. Probably plucking her mustache."

"Should I tell them about your fluffy doll?" Shizuru appeared behind Kuwabara. It startled him greatly, and he jumped high into the air. Kurama moved and Kuwabara landed on his seat.

"Hi sis, enough about family stories, I was just telling them about how pretty you are."

"You're a moron."

"Sorry were late," said Botan, Keiko and Yukina, as they walked up and stood with Shizuru.

"Oh look, the tone-deaf sirens," commented Yusuke. Again, Kurama wished to hear San's laughter at such words.

"Catch," said Shizuru, throwing a bag at her brother.

"Hey! Why do I have to carry all your stuff?" asked Kuwabara. More things were thrown at him.

"Of course you don't have to, but Yukina is drawn to guys who are nice to their sisters," Shizuru answered. Kurama smiled. San would like her. He mentally smacked himself. It was going to take time to get her out of his mind, if he even could.

"Okay, I am!" Kuwabara walked up to her.

"Thank you Kazuma, that's very sweet," said Yukina.

"This to!" said Botan.

"No way Botan, you're not my sister!" Kuwabara tried to get out of it.

"No, but Yukina's socks are in here!" she told him cheerily. Kuwabara sighed. Puu had flown to them, always making an appearance at such random times. Yusuke grabbed the creature out of the air and handed him to Keiko.

"You don't mind having Puu do you?" he asked, though Kurama suspected the girl would be stuck with him no matter what the answer. She shook her head no. "Thanks. No one's going to take the champ seriously if he's holding a blue teddy bear with a beak." said Yusuke, walking away. Kurama heard Keiko mutter something, and then they all followed the detective. They walked outside, towards the dock. They were returning home, to things that they missed. For the first time in a while, Kurama thought about his human mother. It would be great to see her again, especially with this pain he was carrying.

"You know, I'm actually going to miss this stupid place," said Yusuke.

"It feels like we've been here for years," added Kuwabara. They heard the horn of the ship arriving. It was heading towards the dock.

"Back to skipping detentions," said Yusuke.

"Video games," said Kuwabara.

"My human mother..." trailed Kurama.

"Various crimes," muttered Hiei.

"Alright. Let's go home!" declared Yusuke. Everyone cheered in agreement.

"Well excuse me if I'm a little insulted," Kurama could swear he heard the voice of Genkai.

"Hold on a second..." said Yusuke. That told him that everyone had heard it. They all turned, seeing a small figure in the distance. As it got closer, they could see that it was indeed Genkai. She had come back!

"You just going to leave the old fossil behind?" she asked once she was closer to them.

"Genkai! I don't believe it!" exclaimed Botan as she ran towards the old woman.

"Hey! She's really alive!" Kuwabara was next. Everyone else followed, aside from Kurama and Yusuke. He did not wish to run with San's body. He smiled in her direction though, thinking about how happy his mate would be to know that her mentor was back. And then it occurred to him. The others must have wished for Genkai to come back, but he wished for San to come back. Perhaps she would? He tried for a pulse again, but still, there was nothing.

"Must have rubbed off on me, I died like you. Half assed," Genkai spoke to Yusuke. Kurama's smiled again, thinking about his mate and how she would react. It was a sad smile, but it was hard to really be happy at a time like this. Yusuke finally snapped out of his disbelief and ran toward his master. She was smiling, but Kurama could see her eyes on him. No, she wasn't staring at him, she was staring at the still form of San. They embarked the ship, everyone speaking with Genkai. Kurama sat against the railing on the bow, staring into the sky. He looked down at San, and rubbed her cheek sighing sadly. Finally, the old woman had made it towards him. She put a hand on the demon's forehead, and checked a pulse as well.

"I assume the two of you had this whole tournament planned out," stated Kurama. He wasn't trying to sound angry, but some part of him just couldn't help it.

"Yes Kurama, and I'm truly sorry that it affects you so," responded Genkai.

"I understand why she did it, just not why she refrained from speaking with me about it."

"If you had known she was planning this, would you try to stop her?"

"Of course. I lost her once, I lost her again. I found her and then she leaves."

"Then there's your answer. I've watched San grow. She's like a child when it comes to humans. I had to teach her the customs, how to be a human. Through all of that, I saw the pain held in her eyes. She has the power to see the future, to see sorrow that approaches her. She has been powerless to stop it, I'm sure you've heard her speak of it before. I was hoping she would find a way to survive, but know that she saved a life. She altered something she saw coming, and I hope you manage to find solace in that Kurama. Over the years, all she wanted to do was find you. I trained her to be the fighter she is now, and she combines all of her other techniques with mine. In these past 15 years, I have come to accept her as a daughter, and no parent wants to outlive their child."

"I understand Genkai. It does not, however, make the pain any easier to deal with."

"Time heals all wounds, I'm sure you're aware of that."

"Yes. If she were alive, I'm quite certain she would be very happy to see you. She took your death hard."

"Another example of how she saw something and didn't have the power to stop it. What do you plan to do with her body?"

"Take her to the temple. Jin and Chu were kind enough to retrieve her and allow me that opportunity."

"Good. Come with me when we arrive and I will bring you to her garden, where you can say your final good-bye to her."

"Thank you."

Genkai began to walk away, "Oh, and Kurama."

"Yes?"

"While were on the subject of 'if she were here', she would tell you to get rid of that ugly public masturbating trench coat," were the woman's final words before walking away. Kurama smiled, agreeing with her completely.

...

just a lil note here before i thank you all. i know many of you were shocked by San's death, however, if you take the time to read "A Kurama and San Extra!", you'll note that i completely gave this part and the next couple of chapters away, i have not, however, given away how it all came together.

that all said and done, thank you so much for reading and letting me know what you think. i continue to look forward to all of your feedback :), p.s, my community still needs subscribers! :D


	27. Darkness

Kurama followed Genkai up the stairs to her temple. He carried San's body with him, observing his surroundings. He had never been here before, but was anxious to see where she had spent the last 15 years away from him. There were lots of stairs, making it no surprise that there weren't many visitors here. They finally reached the top, just as the sun was starting to announce the last few hours of daylight. He stopped for a moment to look at the temple. It was huge, and the land all around it also belonged to Genkai. It was vast, and he faintly remembered what San had described when the two of them had first met. He heard Genkai clear her throat, and he began to follow her again, into the temple. He saw the big room and another doorway. He followed the owner towards the end of the hall. She stopped, opening a door and allowing Kurama to step through it. He did, and she closed the door behind him. He looked around, seeing a dresser and a bed.

The faint aroma of San was here, indicating that this was her room. It was clean, aside from the dust that had built up over her absence. She had tiger lilies in flower pots all around the perimeter. Kurama set her down on her bed, and observed more of her room. The walls were bare, and nothing resembling personal belongings occupied anything, aside from the flowers. He grabbed San's hand. It was still warm, but she had no pulse. He sighed again, drawing his attention back to his surroundings. He noticed a door on the other side of the room. Curious, he proceeded towards it and opened it. It was a courtyard, filled with exotic Makai and Ningenkai plants. It must be her garden, where she grew her weapons and other various greenery. It was fairly large, a pathway making it easy to wander. He decided to have a look, seeing many plants he recognized, and some he had only heard of. He sighed sadly. They would all die without her here to care for them.

"I figured this would be the best place in the temple for her," Genkai spoke from the doorway. Kurama turned to look at the small woman.

"Yes. Is this were she spent most of her time?" asked Kurama.

"No. When she wasn't training or doing her chores, she spent her time up in the trees of the forest. I'd rather not have her there."

"Agreed," and Kurama went and picked up her body tenderly. He used his energy to create a bed of leaves. He placed her on it once it was finished, and knelt down beside her. He rubbed her forehead with his thumb, and then brought his head down to her. "Farewell San, my koishii," he spoke softly, letting go of a tear. He kissed her forehead and then rose to his feet, looking down at Genkai. She nodded towards him, and then Kurama covered her body completely. When Kurama looked back, it seemed as if Genkai was suspicious of something. Kurama pushed it aside, turning his back. It hurt, and he wasn't sure he could quite handle it. He left the temple, and San behind for good. It was dark now, and he had to get home. He would put on his mask, not letting Shiori know what was going on with him. It was going to be rough for the next few days, but it was out of his hands.

That night was spent in deep thought. Although his mother was happy to see him, and he had his mask on the whole night, it did not make the pain any less intense. He enjoyed the time he spent with her however, and then retired to bed, left alone with his thoughts. He stared at his ceiling, but in front of him was the image of San. Even Moriko, the demon inside. He was losing her as well. Tomorrow he would go back to school, and pretend that he had been away not fighting for his life, not manipulating plants, not been in a ring with dangerous demons, and had not lost the love of his life. He rolled to his side, the sad look on his face unchangeable. He closed his eyes, and relived the memories of their past life together, trying to find solace in them.

...

_She lays on the bare chest of her mate, and enjoys the warmth he provides. He sleeps, while she is wide awake. The moon rises high, emitting a pale light onto their skin. She raises her head to look at his face. He is peaceful, his arm lazily around her, hand resting on her hip. She smiles at her sleeping mate, feeling the love she has for him take over her body. He is like a magnet, always drawing her close to him. She lightly moves his bangs out of his closed eyes. He rubs his eyes and then turns onto his side, facing her. He brings his other arm around her, and pulls her close. She smiles the whole time, stifling a laugh. He opens his golden eyes slowly, and stares down at his mate._

_"Why are you not asleep koishii?" he asks in a gentle voice._

_"The moon has risen Youko. It is not time for me to sleep yet," she replies, whispering._

_"It will take time to adjust to our days."_

_"Yes, but have patience. It has only been a couple of days," she reminds him. __He brings a hand to rub her cheek, and then he kisses her softly. "One hopes you do not regret this choice of eternity with me."_

_He smiles down at her, kissing her once more, "Never."_

_..._

It felt good to be in school. In the past two weeks, Kurama had thought less about San than when he was home studying or doing homework. It took him two days to catch up on all the missed work and tests, getting the highest marks like always. It wasn't really that he tried so hard, in fact, he barely had to try at all. Everything just seemed easy to him, and that was where his marks came. He was walking in the hall from lunch towards his classroom. On rare occasions, he would leave and buy food. Today, he was really missing San, so he went to the last place he had spent with her in the city. It was hard to accept that he wasn't going to see her, but what choice did he have? He noticed something strange just then on the marking board. His name was second. Someone had beaten him, the usual students being in the lead, but there was someone who did better than him. This was certainly a surprise, he had never seen his name anywhere other than the top. He looked and saw a name he definitely didn't expect. There, above the top score read "San Chiya". His heart stopped. How as this possible? He would've smelled her, seen her. He was so engrossed in trying to forget her, he probably didn't even notice her in his classroom.

"So, you are the famous Shuuichi Minamino," that voice, how he longed to hear it, and it was behind him. He turned, seeing a female he did not recognize. He was usually so observant, his guard must have been down while he was in mourning. This girl was human, standing about the same height as San. She wore knee high black boots, and the school uniform. Black framed glasses did not hide her eyes, but accented them, really showing what the sea looked like after a storm. The hair was the same length, but it was not sun touched, just raven coloured. The look in her eyes, it seemed as if she was slightly amused. Kurama recovered quickly and smiled at the girl.

"You are correct. Forgive me, but I have failed to notice your presence around here," replied Kurama.

She smirked, "You must not be very observant then, I've been here for nearly a week. I'm San Chiya," she extended her hand.

Kurama took it, seeing his love at her touch. He did not show it, but he was surprised, as well as confused. This had happened the first time he had met San. This was going to be confusing, trying to speak of one and then having the other right here. He couldn't smell any demon on her, just pure human.

"Ah, I see the two of you have met," said one of the teachers. Kurama couldn't remember his name at the time, he was too engrossed in his thoughts, "San here is a fine student, and it seems she'll give you a run for your money Shuuichi."

"Yes. Although I find it a relief to know that I'm not always going to remain at the top," replied Kurama. He turned his attention back to the raven haired girl in front of him. Who was she? Why did she have the same name? The teacher had walked away, and Kurama kept his gaze on that amused look in this girl's eyes.

She smirked again at him, "I look forward to competing with you. It can be such a fun game at times," she said, before she walked away. He watched her retreating back, still confused as to if she was really human or not. He went back to his class, sitting in his desk and waiting for the bell to sound. He pulled out his book, and used that to pass the time. One by one, or in pairs, students began to fill the room. Kurama caught the scent of the new girl, San. He watched her, without making it obvious. Where did she sit that he didn't notice her? Once she sat, he knew he must have really been out of it. She was right in front of him. Her raven hair was all he saw when he looked forward. This was strange. She sat so close and yet, he had never noticed her before?

"Hi Shuuichi!" said Hiroko cheerfully. She was the girl that sat next to him. In his peripherals, he noticed San turn slightly to look at her. Protective instincts, something his mate would have. The only thing that made sense about any of this, was that San didn't die, and she was right here. That didn't, however, explain the lack of demon smell, nor the appearance. Even if she could change her hair and eye colour, the youki smell wouldn't disappear. She didn't even smell the same human smell that he was used to, nor did she have any kind of enhanced reiki. This was not the same San.

"Hello Hiroko," responded Kurama. He was always nice to the girls that tried to go out with him, but never bothered other than friendly conversation. If he thought about it, he didn't really have any friends at school. He liked it better that way. With the life he lead, it made things less complicated in the end. Besides, there was no replacing his mate. She was perfection in itself, the exact definition.

"I saw you were second on the score board today."

"Yes. I'm quite content with the results however."

"Oh you're always so modest. I was surprised about San though. She never says anything, and I never see her around the school."

"It's always the quite ones."

"It's almost like she's a lone wolf," said Hiroko. The word wolf made San turn around and Kurama his the pang he felt in his heart.

"I can hear you y'know," said the girl in front of him.

"Oh, I'm sorry San I didn't see you. I wasn't trying to say anything bad, just that I was surprised is all. Great job!"

"Thanks," and the girl turned her attention back to the front.

"Shuuichi?"

"Yes?" Kurama answered, suspecting where this was going to go.

"Would you like to hang out with me after school today?"

"I'm sorry, but I must decline. I'll be spending some extra time here after class is over."

"You practically live here you know."

But the conversation ended, the teacher walking in just before the bell sounded. Kurama had no idea that the girl in front of him was smiling at the fact that he had decided not to spend the rest of his day with this "Hiroko" girl.

...

It's dark, there is nothing to see. Where was she? What had happened? All she remembered was someone calling her name. What was her name? Who was that person? All she could think of were the colours red and green. Why was it so dark? She wanted to be able to move, but had to first figure out where she was, and who she was. Why couldn't she remember? Something had happened, something that put her in the state she was in now. She had done something good, but caused pain in the end. She couldn't feel pain, though she knew that she should.

"Farewell San, my koishii," she heard a familiar voice speak to her in sadness. Koishii, that word rang in her head. She had heard it many times before. She had a mate, but who was he? If only she could see, she'd be able to ask. Maybe even find her voice to let him know that she needed help. He would help her right? If she was indeed his koishii, she believed he would. A scent caught her attention. It was pure roses, making her heart jolt even more. She had a mate, and he always smelled of roses, but why? Wasn't that a little gay? No, there was an explanation, and she had to figure it out. She felt something on her forehead. It was a kiss, warm and soft. It did not last long, she felt cold again. Damnit Kurama, why couldn't he stay? Wait, Kurama, that was her mate! Why was he saying good bye? Kurama smelled like roses, because he was a demon! A fox, known better as Youko Kurama. She was his mate, Moriko Chie, a wolf. She used to rule over the wolf clan, and then was banished because of a traitor known as Natsuko. That bitch framed her for her own brother's murder! It was all coming back to her now. The Dark Tournament, Yusuke was fighting Toguro. The demon was coming for Kuwabara, and she had stepped in the way, making it possible for him to live. She blocked her vitals with the last ounce of her spirit energy, but she felt her body die.

But she wasn't dead, she was just trapped here in the darkness. How did she get out of here? Kurama, where was he? Why was he leaving, she's not dead! If only she could speak, tell him that she was okay! How could she? Right, she was a telepath, but she had to be able to see him in order to communicate with him. She tried anyway, telling him not to leave. She encountered a different mind however, one that she remembered had expired. Genkai? She was definitely dead if she could feel Genkai. But wait, what was the smell? It was so familiar. Inferi, dusk, tiger lilies, all plants in her garden. She was back at the temple, meaning Yusuke had won. Kurama must have brought her back here, wished that she would live again. But she couldn't find her way, she was lost. The darkness, it only got more intense, to the point that she couldn't even think properly.

"Moriko, have you forgotten all of your senses?" she heard a familiar voice. She freezes up for just a moment, and turned only to see a light. A body is emerging from it, someone she longed to see.

"Akatsuki!" she exclaims, running to her brother. They hugged each other, having been separated for centuries.

"You look like a human, sister."

"Yeah well, you would to if you've been through the hell that I have!"

"Indeed. I've seen Moriko, I know what happened. I'm sorry for leaving you, I should have bit my tongue before things got bad."

"No brother, it was I who was in the wrong."

He smiled down at her, "We're both bad wolves. But you need to find your way back."

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"Moriko, you're supposed to be the wise one, you should know already. Have you not seen the light in your path?"

"No, all I see is darkness. I should be dead."

"You're human body expired yes, but the demon that resided within it made it possible for you to survive. There's something else you need to know sister."

"What is it?"

"You're stronger now in the moonlight, and you always have been. You were born with powers of darkness."

"No!"

"Yes sister. Those powers have saved your life, letting you continue on your journey with your mate and Urameshi. There's something cold in the air, the adventure far from being over. You need to learn how to harness those powers Moriko, they will help you. But be weary as well. There are only rare demons that can harness both light and dark powers, you must make sure that not a soul figures out you can do this."

"Aside from those I trust?"

"I'm sure you'll have to explain how you're still alive to the others once you find your way. The moon has risen, your powers of darkness are in full strength, and you can use them to return to the surface."

"And what of you?"

"I no longer have a body sister. Once I heard that you may be joining me in the lands of the dead, I had to come here to kick your ass back to life. I've seen how your journey could end, and I wish for you to complete it."

"Akatsuki, life without you is hard."

"But you've survived Moriko. That's all I ask of you. Now go, use your powers to contend with the light, and find your way. I'm always watching over you."

"Good bye brother, I hope we meet again."

"Not too soon however," her brother smiled at her. She hugged him once more, and began to tap into the darkness powers he spoke of. She could feel them, understanding now why she was alive and how. She unleashed her new surfaced power, and found the path she was searching for. She looked to where her brother once stood, but he had disappeared. She smiled sadly, following the light. She opened her eyes, taking a big breath and seeing darkness once more. She felt with her hands, trying to move whatever it was that occupied the space on top of her. It was leaves, so she used her energy to get rid of them. The moon shone brightly and full in the sky, that was the first sight she saw. She sat up, looking for Kurama, but he had vacated. Instead, she found Genkai there, looking as if she was waiting for the demoness to wake up.

San stood, happy to see the old woman there. But where was her mate? Had he left already? How she longed to see him again, to apologize for what she had done. Genkai continued to stare at San, and the wolf wanted to know why, but she walked over to the old psychic. San was happy that she had survived, that the wishes had come true. Had she died however, there would be no point to remember the sorrow.

"I take it you have a good reason for rising from the dead?" asked Genkai.

San smiled, "Yes. I am a rare demon I guess. I can harness the powers of light and dark."

"How did you even figure that out? Or manage it?"

"My brother, he came and told me so."

"Interesting. I'm surprised he was able to, he's been dead for years."

"I know, but I was happy. Now, where's Kurama?"

"Went home after he buried you, a week ago."

"A week?"

"Yeah, I was wondering when you'd be waking up. I would've told him to stop after I heard you trying to reach him, but then I remembered your vision."

"Oh?"

"You altered two visions with one selfless act. You saved a life, and instead of waiting here for me, it's the other way around. Come with me, I have something to show you," said the old woman, turning from the garden. San followed her curious. She walked into the dojo, and saw two humans sitting there. Something was glowing, and San gasped, realizing it was a soul! The humans looked at the two of them confused.

"Genkai! What the fuck?" exclaimed San.

"These two have come to me for learn how to control their powers. Kido, show her what you can do!" instructed Genkai. San stood, watching as the human powered up his reiki. He was blond, and very ugly she noted. She then felt strange, as if the field around her had changed completely. San looked at her mentor, her eyes questioning. "These three have developed the power of territory I call it. They have a radius where they control everything. Once he steps on your shadow, you'll be completely unable to move," she explained. San nodded in understanding. Genkai continued as Kido removed his territory, "The nerd has the power of taboo, and the idiot got the one with the hair's soul taken from the body. They came to me, since putting a soul back is a complicated process. That one can copy any person he touches, including the spirit signature."

"This is all very impressive, but I don't understand why you're explaining it all to me?"

"In the small time that I've been dealing with them, I've formulated a plan. There's something going on around here. On my way back, I noticed many Makai insects. I plan on kidnapping Yusuke, and using the others to rescue him, hopefully teaching them a lesson about other humans that developed powers like these three. For the next three or four weeks, you'll be training and informing them of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama."

"And why would I give away my mate like that?"

"Because I told you to idiot."

"When can I go see him?"

"Not until after the test. I need him to be completely ignorant to what's going on. He's a smart guy, I'm sure he'll figure it out sometime during this test, but he can't even suspect something before then. This is important San, and the only way to teach him and the others a lesson. Yu Kaito attends school with Kurama."

"That is completely unfair Genkai!" cried San, getting angry at the woman.

"If I may offer a friendlier suggestion?" said the dork with glasses.

"What?" the two of them asked angrily.

"What if we just disguise San so that she can keep an eye on Shuuichi? I'm sure from what you've told me, she would enjoy a game like that. Besides, I knew something was wrong when he decided to spend more time at school than usual," the teen suggested.

"Fine. I'll make a call, you can teach her. San, you start school on Monday. We'll need to at least hide your eyes, he'll know who you are from those," Genkai agreed.

"Yeah, and my scent, maybe my hair? Genkai, he's a fox, incredibly sly and wise, he'll know me my just from my scent alone. And my mark, it might glow being so close to him."

"I'm sure you're smart enough to think of a way to change all of that. Now, you're first task is to put that soul back in it's body, and then you'll begin training immediately. Might want to try using those powers you spoke of, that way we don't waste anymore time. The faster we do this, the faster we get to the bottom of this." San continued to stare at the old woman, "Hurry up slacker! I just said that time is a factor here."


	28. Preparations

San wandered the school. She had never been to school before, this was the first time in her life. She liked it, or something about it made her feel slightly normal. It also gave her a chance to see what her mate went through over the years, and how his life is as a human. He wanted to stay with his human mother, which meant he had to live like a human, and that meant attending school. She didn't mind it though, Genkai was alive and San didn't want to leave her either. The more she thought about it, the more she considered Genkai as a mother of sorts. Her real mother had died giving birth to her, and her father was torn from it. He found a new mate, much to the clan's dismay, and then her brother, Akatsuki, was born. San never considered the other mate anything in relation to her, but her brother was very important. Akatsuki had no idea that they were only half blood, and she didn't breathe a word of it either. He probably knew now, being dead, but it still didn't matter. They grew up together as young cubs, and they would always be siblings as far as she was concerned.

San walked into her classroom, where half of it was full of students. Lunch break always brought on stragglers, and she didn't really care about being on time. However, she was fairly early, so she sat on her desk and turned to look behind her, at Kurama. His nose was in yet another book, this was the third one this week. She smiled at her mate, hating that she was unable to reveal herself. Genkai's orders, and she was pack leader now that she was back. San noticed something then. Kurama's eyes looked as if they were moving, as if he were actually reading, but he took longer to turn the page than usual. She could see it, the sorrow he was carrying around. It made her happy to know that he missed her, that he was sad about her "death", but it hurt at the same time. She could end his pain right now, with a quick flare of her energy, take off her stupid disguise and jump into his lap. She put a hand over her mouth to hide the smile at her last thought. The look on his face would make it all worth the while. If only she could, but that would give everything away.

"Something funny?" she heard him question. She looked, and his green eyes were focused on her, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes," she answered, smiling at him. He looked as if he was waiting for her to elaborate, but she remained silent.

"Well?"

She cocked her head slightly, "Well what?"

"Are you going to explain?"

"No? You never really asked me what was funny, just if something was funny."

Kurama sighed. The more he spoke with this girl, the more like his mate she truly was. It made it extremely difficult to get over her death with a girl that acted and spoke the same. If it wasn't for the appearance, scent and energy signature, he would swear that she was his mate. He smiled slightly though. This girl did help him remember her more vividly.

"You look sad Shuuichi," she noted.

Kurama blinked, looking back into the girls eyes, "Not at all."

"Now you're lying to me."

He blinked again, surprised, "That's quite the accusation."

"But it's true. I'll tell you a secret Shuuichi. It's not your smarts that intrigue me so much about you, I've clearly proven that they can easily be over come. It's the mystery that others cannot see within your eyes. You hide it well, but I can see it."

Kurama smiled innocently, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think you do. I've also noticed that you've never once said my name. Is there perhaps, something wrong with it?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"No, no," he answered, a little too quickly. The question caught him off guard, and it only made him think about his mate even more intensely. He sighed, "It's a beautiful name, San."

Her eyes wanted to water, "Thank you, Shuuichi. Now tell me, what are you hiding?"

Kurama looked down, but was smiling. This girl was different from any of the ones in the school. She was very observant. The fact that she could see past his mask made him start to wonder about her. Maybe she was his wish? But he didn't want a new mate, he couldn't even dream of having anyone else. However, this girl in front of him had gone through a lot to uncover his mask. It wouldn't hurt to tell her a variation of the real story, "I once knew someone who bore the same name as you. She was very close to me."

"You said was."

"Yes. She recently passed."

"And then me having her name wouldn't help. I'm sorry for your loss."

Kurama smiled, looking into this girl's blue eyes, "Thank you."

...

"I don't like this Genkai. When can we put this stupid plan into motion? Do you have any idea how hard it is to see and interact with him and not even be able to give him a hug? I can see the sorrow in his eyes, even though he tries to hide it. He's my mate, he has been for centuries. I'm starting to get very upset about waiting for so long," San told Genkai. It was maybe the third week, and she had just taken the long train ride to get home, having left with Yu Kaito.

"You're just jealous of all those girls that drool over him. You're a wolf, you're territorial, it's fine. Until you blow your cover," said the teen. San turned and glared at him.

"You want to talk about jealousy? How about the weird obsession you have about beating him? Or the way you consistently stare at him?" she retorted.

"Shuuichi has been a pillar in many people's way. I just happen to be one of them."

"Yeah, and I get better marks than both of you, so what does that make me?"

"Will you two shut up!" Genkai interjected, "Kaito, if you want some peace, stop insulting her mate. San, the plan will start tomorrow, we've progressed far enough and can't afford to waste anymore time. You'll keep an eye out for Kurama, follow him. Kuwabara is hopefully smart enough to find him first, otherwise they won't have a chance in hell at finding Hiei. Another thing San. You have to mask your energy completely, and don't even attempt to use telepathy, or else Hiei will catch on quickly. I'll give you a phone so that you can update Kido with what's going on. Now, once the other two get back here, we'll be able to run over our plans for the last time and get in as much training as possible."

San glared and then took off the glasses and wig. With the glasses on, they hid her eyes, making them instead a very interesting blue. They were like the sea after a storm, something of Koenma's creation. The ruler knew of their plan, and was waiting until it was over to explain to them what was going on. The Makai insects were only getting worse, they had to figure this out very soon.

...

The day continue to wear on. Although class was technically over, Kurama stayed at school and continued to read his book. New test scores were up, and San had once again proven that she was a force to be reckoned with. She beat him, he was second. This didn't bother him though, it was the fact that today her scent was completely different than normal. Today her aroma was one he longed to smell again, and that confused him greatly. He tried to feel any reiki he could, but nothing emitted from her. He heard the door open, and looked, seeing two female classmates approaching him. He sighed internally, here they were again, looking for the same thing. They would only receive the same answer. When would they learn?

"Hey, great job on that test. You got second place, but it's still really exciting, isn't it?" said Hiroko. She was standing with her friend.

"Yes, seems fortune has been my friend," he answered politely, without even taking his eyes off his book.

"Gosh Shuuichi, you don't have to act like it's no big deal. You're embarrassed, is that it?" asked the girl standing next to Hiroko. Kurama couldn't quite recall her name at the moment.

He turned to look at her, letting out a small laugh, "You know me well," but wait. There was something on Hiroko's shoulder.

"Then again, that whole thing about not losing your cool is... cool, right? Like a movie star."

"Who is that, at the door?" Kurama ignored her completely, trying to diverge their attention. They looked, and he swiftly snatched the bug from Hiroko's left shoulder.

"There's no one there," stated Hiroko. The girls then laughed, turning back to him.

"Sorry, must be my imagination."

"So... want to do something after school?"

"Actually, I do need to finish this book first."

"Sure, we understand. Maybe we'll chat after you're done," and the girls giggled, walking away. Kurama waited until they were out of sight before observing the dead bug in his hand. A Makai insect, distant cousin of the one's the Saint Beasts had used. He was happy that he caught it before it affected Hiroko, but he looked out the window. Koenma must be informed, if he wasn't already. Kurama would know when Yusuke was being active, and possibly needing assistance. There were eyes on him, he could feel them, boring into the back of his head. He turned his attention to the door, and he saw her. San, the mysterious human girl that smelled so like his mate. The aroma filled his nostrils, and he looked sadly at her. Her face changed from slightly amused to some sort of pity. It was almost as if she was guilty, like she knew how to end his pain. She looked down, taking herself out of the green orbs, and walked away.

...

It was time. San heard the last bell ring, telling all the students that school was over for the day. She usually stuck around to see what her mate was up to, but she had to make sure that the humans didn't screw up. So she used her speed and ran to Yusuke and Kuwabara's school. She caught the scent of Botan, how perfect. A little late however, Koenma should have informed Yusuke ages ago, when this disaster was first starting. He probably didn't notice yet, and that posed a problem. It didn't matter though, they would all be aware of this very soon. Makai insects were starting to make it to this town, and San noticed a couple in the school today. Kurama stared at her all day, because she didn't bother hide her demon scent that much today. This would keep his guard up, besides the sadness he contained. She pushed her thoughts aside, seeing Yusuke, Kido, Kaito and Mitsunari. It was showtime, and she stayed high on top of a pole, out of sight. She didn't bother straining her ears to hear what was going on, it wasn't important right now. The sun was setting, the clock starting soon.

Yusuke untied Puu from his bag, and the little creature flew right to San. She found that very odd, how did he even know she was here. Then she realized that the creature was pleading her for help. She sighed, shaking her head sadly at the animal. Her attention went back to Yusuke and the others. Kido had made his territory, and that was what San was waiting for. The creature in front of her began to freak out.

"Puu, calm down. Go get Kuwabara and Botan, let them know what's happened here," San told the little creature. It flew off, San assuming towards the others. She jumped down from her post, standing in front of the three human boys.

"Oh what now, who the hell are you?" asked Yusuke.

"Make sure you're ready, I'm going to take care of the rest. Here," she pulled a note out of her pocket and handed it to them, "Leave it with the bag. I'm going back to the school."

...

Kurama was still at school. He spent most of his time there, because it helped distract him from the pain. It didn't seem to be getting any better. Today in particular, he could swear that he was smelling her. As the sun was setting, he was trying to finish his experiment, but his heart just wasn't in it. That look in San's eyes, the blue eyes that were nothing like his mates, what was it? She always seemed to be staring at him, slightly amused, but today she was sad. If she was around him, maybe he would try and find out, but she was somewhere in the school he was sure. Her scent really bothered him, it matched his mates perfectly. His thoughts were interrupted by someone coming into the classroom. He turned slightly and saw that it was the Biology club. Figures, he was in the classroom for it.

"Shuuichi," said the leader of them. Kurama's thoughts were in a jumble, so he couldn't quite recall names today. Hell, he didn't even really know what he was doing in this class, but it was something to do he supposed.

"Yes?" he answered, wondering what they wanted.

"We were wondering if you would be the captain our club? We meet on weekends, trying to win the contest like last year."

Kurama sighed, going back to his work, "I'm sorry," he told them.

"Please Shuuichi, you have to. You're a genius, and with you as captain, our team will finally win," he was begging now.

"As exciting as a biology meet sounds... My weekends are full," Kurama told the boy, turning to him and setting the beaker down.

"But you're a prodigy, top scores every week! And the girls love you, don't they? You'll turn this whole club around. We start winning contests, we get more funding, then we get girlfriends!" he declared. He took a step forward, "Please!" He seemed desperate. Kurama took a step back, holding his hands up. This was going a little too far.

"You've certainly thought this out. But I can't," he politely declined and then began to walk away. The leader of their little pack started to run after him.

"Oh no you don't!" he said, throwing a chair out of the way and blocked the fox's path. "I've waited too long to get my chance. You either join this team or face our wrath!"

Kurama sighed, scratching his head, "Nerd violence," he muttered under his breath. He then heard a voice he definitely wasn't expecting, calling "Kurama"! He looked, "Don't tell me..."

"Hey! Where are you!" it was Kuwabara, and he was out in the hall. "Kurama!"

"Do you think you could be a bit more discreet?" he heard Botan ask him.

"Hey, don't distract me, I'm having enough trouble without my energy. AND YELLING HELPS ME KEEP FOCUS!" he was getting closer. Kurama sighed, wondering what those two would be doing here.

"Sorry Shuuichi," the nerd began again, taking another step forward. Kurama held his hands up, wishing this boy would just go away, "I'm not really mean, just desperate. Please?"

"Yes well, you did have me scared..." trailed Kurama.

"So... will you join?" he asked again. Kurama was about to decline once more when...

"AHA!" declared Kuwabara, kicking the door clear off it's hinges and knocking the pest onto the ground. "There you are Kurama! You could have just come into the hall you know?" But then Kuwabara realized he had knocked someone down with the door, looking down.

"Oh dear," said Botan, moving to have a look.

"Hey, what did he call you?"

"Who's Kurama?" the other boys questioned.

Kurama recovered quickly, "Oh, just a meaningless nick name, there's no need to remember it," and then he looked to Kuwabara, "Yes, isn't that right." Kuwabara looked at him confused. "Please be mindful, I'm Shuuichi here," Kurama whispered at the teen, reminding him.

"Oh... oops," said Kuwabara.

"Is there a reason you've come?"

"I'll say," said Kuwabara, pulling out a note and handing it to the fox. "Take a look at this." He waited a moment, for Kurama to read it, "Any idea who could have written it?"

"Smells human..." he neglected to mention the smell of his mate, nor the similar penmanship of the human girl, San.

"Yeah, that's what's weird, he left with school kids," Kuwabara was referring to Yusuke. It seems that the detective has been kidnapped, and to get him back, they required himself, Kuwabara and Hiei by 11 tonight. This was going to be fun... "We got just four hours to find Hiei," Kuwabara continued.

"Well, he should be somewhere in the city. Although his criminal record has been cleared, Koenma still confines him here. I have not seen him around lately though..."

Botan and Kuwabara looked outraged, "Too bad Hiei's not here, we could use his jagan eye to find himself," said the blue haired girl.

"That's right!" agreed Kuwabara. Kurama decided to give them a minute to figure out what they had just said. Thankfully, it didn't take too long.

"Logic is panic's prey," Kurama smiled at them. "Perhaps we should be going now," he told them. The other's agreed. Botan led the way out, and as Kurama was walking, he caught the scent of his mate. He turned and saw that it was only the raven haired San. He looked into those blue eyes, questioning. She stared directly at him, that slightly amused look there once more. He was confused, trying to figure her out, no doubt. He would find out, she would no longer have to hide from him. She watched him run with Kuwabara and Botan, and she hoped to holy hell that he wasn't going to be vexed with her for hiding from him for so long.

...

"Kido, it's San. They're meeting up in the park, waiting for Botan to return. Once they find Hiei, they'll be on the way. I'll let you know when that happens," San phoned Kido at the mansion. She sat in a tree not too far from Kuwabara and Kurama. The two of them waited, somewhat impatiently for the reaper to return.

"So, how are you making out these days?" asked Kuwabara.

"I assume you mean since San's death?" Kurama looked up into the moon.

"Yeah... I hear you spend a lot more time at school."

"I've been okay I suppose. School helps to distract me from the pain, most days. I miss her Kuwabara, we've been together for almost two millennia. It's hard to cope with something like that..."

"Two millennia eh? Gosh, I don't even know what to say to that. It's a long time, I guess and I can sort of see why it's so hard for you to let her go. Have you thought about finding a new girlfriend?"

"Never. She was the most important thing in my life, and there is no way to replace her. Accepting her death will be something that may take years to happen, but I will not find another mate. No matter how long I live, she will always be my mate, even if I must push on without her. Our love is like none other, it's true and filled with fire. That fire continues to burn on, even if she does not," Kurama let a tear fall, seeing both Moriko and the tawny eyes of San in the moonlight. His eyes looked down, as he clenched a fist.

In the tree, San was crying, tears flowing freely. She felt the exact way he did, wishing that she could just pop out and yell surprise, wishing that she could take his sorrow away, wishing that she would be wrapped up in those arms again. Soon, she would be soon, so long as they passed the test. San could smell Botan approaching. It was 10:00 pm, meaning that they had less than an hour to track down the fire demon and make their way to rescue Yusuke.

"Bingo!" said Botan, opening up the case containing all of Yusuke's detective items.

"Wow, like a real secret agent!" said Kuwabara.

"So which device will find him?" asked Kurama.

Botan let out a nervous laugh, "Oh right. Let's see... Ah! The superbly improved demon compass, fresh take and a classic style for taking on any demon."

"But, can't Hiei simply deceive it by manipulating his energy?"

"Not anymore, thanks to this newly installed sample chamber. By placing his DNA inside, such as from a strand of hair, we can find him regardless of his energy!" Botan sounded so proud of herself.

"It's too bad I don't carry around a lock of his hair," Kurama told the girl, his voice thick with sarcasm. It made San smile.

"Yes, good point," and she placed the compass back, pulling out another item, "How about the psychic spyglass? We can see through brick walls and search the entire city!"

"In less than an hour?"

"Uh... okay. Forget seeing through walls, we'll use the concentration ring to blow them up!" San laughed quietly to herself. Botan was such a ditz, but she sure was comical. The three of them sighed and then Kuwabara began rummaging around in the case.

"Perhaps it's the wrong approach. Instead of finding him, is there an item that will make him find us?" asked Kurama.

"Get real! Botan would have mentioned it if we had something like that!" declared Kuwabara.

"We do!" she said excitedly, causing Kuwabara to sigh. Botan held up a whistle, "The mystic whistle!" it was called. "I never had much of a reason to show Yusuke this darling, but it's really quite neat. Sort of a dog whistle for apparitions. It shoots out a sound wave only they can hear. The stronger your energy, the louder the sound. I can make it go at least sixty miles." She stood then, preparing to blow the whistle, "You'd better cover your ears, it's rather annoying," she warned the two. "Well, here goes," and she blew the whistle. San's ears were penetrating by this hideous sound. She did her best not to scream and to hold her post, but holy fuck was that sound annoying. It made her want to chop the poor girl's head off just to get it to stop. She couldn't hear anything, just that ringing and it was awful. Finally, Botan ceased and San took a breath of relief. "There, now we wait for Hiei. Hopefully he shows up," said Botan. But just as that sentence was finished, Hiei fell out of the tree that was right next to San. They turned, looking in his direction.

"That was fast," commented Kuwabara.

"What repulsive creature makes my ear drums bleed?" asked Hiei from the ground. He looked up and saw Kuwabara, Botan and Kurama standing in front of him.

"Thanks Hiei, I thought you'd come if you were called," said Botan. San smiled at the comment.

"Hn. I didn't know it was you. I only came to find the source of that vile noise and kill it," looked like Hiei was thinking along the same lines of San. Fuck, she wished she never heard a sound like that again.

"Here, you'd better read this," said Kurama, getting down to business. There wasn't much time to waste. He could smell someone near them, a scent so familiar, but was being blocked by the trees. He then saw a leaf fall, and looked in the tree next to the one Hiei had fallen out. There was nothing there, but he could smell something.

"Hn," Hiei's voice brought Kurama back to the present situation, "So, the detective's been ensnared. Wish I'd been around to see it, must have been too cocky to realize his own weakness. Just tell the kidnappers I turned it down. I'm finished babysitting," said Hiei, beginning to walk away. San was hoping that sexy red head down there was thinking of something to get the fire apparition to go.

"You must be curious Hiei," began Kurama. San smiled, there it was, "Someone strong enough to overcome Yusuke must surely provide a challenge."

"Nice try. But I no longer care," and Hiei began to walk away.

"How could you even think about walking off Hiei? If you don't come, Yusuke could be killed!" said Botan.

"Not my responsibility. You should have learned by now that this is a kill or be killed world. If you're too weak to help yourself, then you deserve to fall."

"Then what if stopping these people now protected your own interests," said Kurama, "The culprits are likely human. We both know what powerful humans like to hunt. If they are allowed to kill Yusuke, perhaps you will be next."

"Fighting humans, that nearly peaks my interest... but not quite."

"I wonder Hiei, how have you liked being stuck on probation? Being strapped down to one human city?" asked Botan.

"What do you think?"

"Well, if you help bring back Yusuke alive, I'll have Koenma put your sentence to time served and you'll be free."

"What? Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Kuwabara.

"There's other choice, we're almost out of time. Make your call Hiei.

Hiei paused, no expression on his face. Finally, he smirked, "Fighting humans to win my freedom. Yes, sounds like a deal."


	29. A Battle of Wits

"Kido, they've got Hiei. They should be there in the next few minutes, Botan will be joining them," San told Kido, who was waiting with Kaito, Mitsunari and Genkai. She hopped ahead of them, and waited on the rooftop of the mansion. It didn't take long for them to catch up. San could feel Kaito and Kido's territory within the walls. She wondered if Hiei or Kurama would be able to feel it, but maybe not, the two of them unfamiliar to this type of spiritual power. They stood on the sidewalk, observing the house.

"Is this the place? Looks deformed," said Kuwabara.

"It's the only old mansion on the block," said Botan.

"Well, stay here Botan. Whatever this house is, it's definitely not safe for none fighters."

"That's sweet I guess, but I'm going. With Yusuke out and you losing your spirit energy, I'm the only one who can use the detective tools."

"She's right, our strength lies in numbers," said Kurama. Him and Hiei began to walk to towards the door, only to be stopped by the note that Kaito had posted there.

"The house of four dimensions," said Kuwabara, reading.

"Once entered, this do not, ever utter the word hot," Botan finished. Kaito was such an idiot. San waited before she went to keep an eye on them.

"Is it some kind of riddle?" asked Kuwabara.

"No, it is a warning. There's no way to know if it was real," answered Kurama. San could swear they would be doomed without her mate. They were fortunate to have met him. She jumped down and into a window. She made her way inside and saw Mitsunari standing by the one door. Good, and then she saw Kaito waiting for them as well. He smiled, looking way too cocky. She gave him a nasty look before she took her post on top of the bookshelf. She couldn't wait until her mate totally kicked his ass, the guy was really annoying. She sighed, fanning herself slightly with her hand. The others had walked in the door, and she turned their attention towards them. Show time.

"That's odd," said Botan, "What is this place?" she asked. Her question went unanswered, and the party walked forward a bit more. The door closed behind them. Kuwabara walked in front of the others.

"It looks all twisted up," he observed.

"And that steam. It's like an oven it's so ho-"

She was cut off by Kurama's hand over her mouth. He had that look of determination, one that San loved to see. She couldn't help but admire him while his mind was working, it was one thing she really loved about him, "Remember the word we're not saying," he reminded the girl.

"Kurama. Did you feel that?" Hiei asked the other demon.

"Yes. When we entered the energy schematic changed. It feels as though if somehow we've been transported to a different space."

"Or a different space time," San heard Kaito speak from the shadows. She really disliked this boy in the time she spent with him. Consistently negative towards her mate, not believing that Kurama would best him. The human would see, and she would laugh at him for doubting her mate. "Welcome to the house everyone. I'm so glad you made it," said Kaito.

"Yeah that's him. One of the guys Urameshi left with," confirmed Kuwabara.

Kaito just laughed, "Recognition, I just love how that feels." San rolled her eyes. He was so full of himself.

"Listen dork! I don't know who you are, but we're no normal school kids!" yelled Kuwabara. San smiled, she did miss him.

Kurama stepped forward, "His name is Kaito."

"Hold on. How on earth do you know that?"

"He is a classmate. All of his test scores are second only to mine. Remarkably bright for his age. I've never spoken to him personally, and naturally, I've never told him about you..." Kurama trailed in his explanation. "Kaito! Where have you gotten your information, and why have you kidnapped Yusuke?"

Kaito just laughed again, "It's a real grip-your-seat mystery isn't it? I hear your team won something called the Dark Tournament, and that's quite a feat. My congratulations," said Kaito, moving to sit in the chair. "I also heard that as a result, I give you my condolences, Shuuichi. Really, I was most surprised about you, Shuuichi. Try and put yourself in my shoes. Learning my school rival can also do the funniest things with plants."

Kurama glared. It was one thing to mention San's death, but to know of his abilities was completely different. He clenched his fists at the side, not going unnoticed by the wolf sitting atop the bookshelf beside him. She watched intently, ready to defend him if the occasion called for it. Kurama could smell her, but that was at the back of his mind at this point.

"Oh, that's a scary look. I don't ever remember you making that face in the classroom. Then again, we both keep things from our peers. You see, I have a talent to. Being such great champions as you are, I was hoping I could test them out on you."

"Okay! This is ridiculous! We've been through stuff you couldn't even dream about!" declared Kuwabara.

"I will take him," said Hiei menacingly, unsheathing his sword slowly. San sighed, rolling her eyes. Idiot. "You'll agree my impatience for human fools is an asset. Now!" and Hiei lunged swiftly at the ugly human.

"I'm sorry..." Kaito trailed, but San knew he wasn't. He sat there, smirking still.

"I doubt that!" said Hiei, swinging his sword. It just broke however, the wind of it not even hitting Kaito.

"Never doubt."

"How the hell did he just do that? Energy came right out of nowhere, it looked weird!" yelled Kuwabara.

"As you can see, this is a very special room where brute strength cannot exist. Only your words have power here, just make sure you follow my one posted rule."

"What's he saying?"

"He must mean the note on the door," answered Botan.

"Indeed," agreed Kurama.

"As a child, playing pretend, I would make my own world with my own rules. But I've learned I can do it for real. Growing up as a book worm, I guess it was inevitable when I would decide to rule out... violence," explained Kaito. Hiei growled. "I see why that disturbs you, Hiei. In the world of fighting, your skills let you bully whoever you want. But in my territory, you're just a tiny, swordless man."

"Control your temper Hiei!" Kurama told the fire apparition that had risen to his feet, "He wants you to act out in anger!"

"Hn. Any buffoon can make a shield, how do we know that your other claim isn't just a bluff?" questioned Hiei. San sighed, he was so dumb at times.

"There's... only one way," answered Kaito.

"No three letter word can end my fate," said Hiei. San couldn't believe he was actually going to do this, "HOT!" he bellowed. Wow, what a dumbass. Hiei's soul began to separate from his body and make its way over to Kaito. He glanced up to her quickly, and she gave him that look that told him if he harmed that soul, she would take it out on him. His soul glowed purple, as it floated in Kaito's hand. She laughed quietly to herself. Purple soul for Hiei indeed.

"I told him not to doubt me. But that's what happens when you say the taboo word, your soul becomes part of my territory," said Kaito. Botan and Kuwabara ran towards Hiei.

"Wake him up!" cried Botan.

"He's ice cold," said Kuwabara.

"Oh dear..." Kurama just stood and stared.

"You lose a point. Now we've taken two hostages. Urameshi's having his fun upstairs. So what's your next move? Go on home, or play through the round?" San heard Kurama growl lowly. The sound filling her ears was intoxicating. She loved him angry, something about his whole demeanor was incredibly attractive to her. "It's a kick, your life-style. Secrets, dueling opponents with special powers... I only started last month, but I've worked hard. My first challenge was learning how to control my power. The guys and I call it 'Manifesting our territory'. So far I've gotten to a 10 meter radius around me. As long as I concentrate, everything around it has to follow the rules I've set. Imagination turned to physical law."

"So, by that logic, if we incapacitate you, the rules will cease and Hiei's soul will return to his body?" asked Kurama.

"I don't know. Maybe," answered Kaito. Kurama growled again, "No one's beaten me yet, so it hasn't come up." Kaito was lying. San herself had beaten him during training, but she knew that it was part of his tact to tell them otherwise.

"That's it! I can't take anymore of this rookie and his ego trip!" declared Kuwabara.

"How do you stand these friends of yours, Shuuichi? They can't even handle one smart conversation. It must get lonely. Still, you haven't chosen. Will you challenge me, or go home?"

"Wait, you're forgetting the third option," said Kuwabara. San looked at him in alarm. What could he possibly mean?

"Really? I'm drawing a blank, what do you mean?"

"We forget about Hiei for now and move on. That's my vote."

Botan screamed in outrage, "I never expected to hear that from you Kuwabara! Hiei is your teammate!"

"It's his own code! Right? You had to bribe him to help Urameshi 'cause he said, 'weak men deserve to fall'. Then he turns around and says the wrong thing on purpose just to be cool. Let's save him for after we're through, that'll teach him a lesson."

"You have a brain after all," commented Kaito. Kuwabara was not happy with that. "Of course it's not a very good one. That option isn't valid."

"Why not? You can't hold us back."

"No, but you can't get through a doorway if you don't have the proper key," said Kaito. Their attention was drawn to Mitsunari, who was standing at the doorway.

"You mean Urameshi's in there?"

"Let's just say that door is your first step. But Yanagisawa has the only key."

"Ha! Now this I can handle," said Kuwabara, walking over to Mitsunari. "Okay Mr. Hairspray, hand over the key while I'm asking you nicely." San laughed quietly to herself. "Mr. Hairspray" indeed!

Mitsunari just blew a bubble with his gum, "No dice."

"Listen. I'll give you one more shot just in case you don't know who I am. Give me the dumb key-"

"Alright, why don't you knock me out and take it man?" asked Mitsunari, holding the key in front of Kuwabara, "Or did you lose your strength to?"

"Shut your hole!" yelled Kuwabara, throwing a punch. San sighed. Idiot. His punch was stopped by the rules of Kaito's territory. San cringed at the sound of his hand cracking. Mitsunari just laughed.

"You got to get a better memory. We're still inside of Kaito's territory and you know he doesn't like violence. We've got to be gentle with each other okay?" said Mitsuari in a light tone. San laughed in her mind. She never had a problem with him. He put the key in his front pocket.

"How about I shove my foot gently down your throat?" growled Kuwabara.

"So... You finally decide?" Kaito asked her mate.

"I'll play by your rules Kaito, whatever they are," answered Kurama.

Kaito laughed, "Good," he spoke. Kurama was still glaring, as he came to sit in a chair in front of the youth. The room was silent, none of them wishing to speak the taboo word. She yawned, finding this boring. Botan and Kuwabara had taken a seat as well, not knowing what else to do. With the silence pending, it made the heat much worse because of the focus upon it. Kaito had submerged himself into a book.

"I'm tired of this, We're still aloud to talk right? We're just not supposed to say the h, you know what word. That's nothing tough," said Kuwabara. Kaito completely ignored him, turning a page, "So Kurama, you said you went to school with this dork. What other stuff do you know about him?"

"Yu Kaito. My classmate as I've said. He has gotten much attention at my school in light of his IQ results. His intellect is ranked at the genius level, and some of his scores the highest since the school's inception," explained Kurama.

"Well that's a round about way of bragging, isn't it Shuuichi? If I'm such a prince, you must be the king since you always beat me on tests," said Kaito.

"Accumulatively, yes, my grades are superior. Until recently, they were at the top, but San has stood in my path for the past few weeks now. But in certain subjects, such as language and literature, you far surpass me. You've even published essays on literary theory."

"So he's a young genius writer huh? Wait, did you say San?"

Kurama sighed, "Yes, she is a new student at my school, with higher grades than mine."

"Oh," said Kuwabara, feeling bad for bringing up Kurama's mate. He turned his attention back to Kaito, who was still in his book, "I bet we're cooler than anything you've read in a book!" he said.

"Not really," said Kaito. Really, what did Kuwabara expect from such a silly comment like that?

"It's so obvious what you're trying to do, making us sweat it out in this room so that we'll say your magic word. I mean, must be 100 degrees."

"80 actually, with 80% humidity. I keep my room like this so I can raise my tropical plants. My tribute to Shuuichi," said Kaito. San rolled her eyes. There was that creepy obsession again. "But if the conditions are making you thirsty, there are plenty of drinks in the fridge. I even have glasses."

Kuwabara stood and started towards the fridge. Kaito was laughing, so Kuwabara walked towards him instead, "What are you chuckling at book worm? Did you poison them or something? Maybe you should drink one first."

"Waste all my talent to poison you? That's brilliant. You know, you're a very intelligent guy," Kaito was mocking Kuwabara. The nerd did have a point however, Kuwabara did have some strange obsession with people poisoning him.

"You bark a lot for a weiny dog!" Kuwabara made towards the fridge after that last comment. Botan stood just then.

"Hold on Kuwabara. Why don't you let me get that? I uh, want to keep my hands cool" she said, running towards the fridge. She opened it, observing the contents, "Okay. Looks harmless enough, and quite a selection. Let's see... O.j? It's better for you than soda."

"That's fine. Just pour it over ice and we can share it with each other so long as we have two straws."

"Your confidence in my health is charming," said Botan. But then Kuwabara was frigid. He glowed, his soul beginning to separate from his body. San growled from her post.

-You're cheating!- she exclaimed in his mind. With Hiei's soul gone, she was free to use her telepathy.

-How so? He may not have said the word "hot", but he did say the letters in a sequence-

-Yes you dolt, I figured that out, but Mitsunari said "each other" earlier and his soul is fine!-

-I know, that's where I got the idea. This won't go very far if I don't make it more interesting- San had to agree with him there. It was easy to not say one word, but to avoid saying it in a sequence like that well, it was harder to realize it before it was too late.

"That can't be!" cried Botan. Kaito muttered something under his breath as Kuwabara's soul made it's way towards him. His was yellow, floating with Hiei's purple one. She still found it funny that Hiei had a purple soul.

"But why?" questioned Kurama.

"You're cheating Kaito, he never even came close to saying hot!" said Botan. San smacked her forehead. Wow Botan, wow. Kurama stared at her in horror, and Botan realized what she had said. She laughed nervously, "I goofed," were her last words before her soul separated and went straight to Kaito. Her's had a blue glow to it.

"There's three," said Kaito, "I can't believe it was so easy," he spoke again, holding up the three souls. Kurama was glaring at him. "Forgive me for not explaining the specifics, I didn't think your friends could handle it. In my territory, you can't say the letter's h, o and t in a row, even if they are in different words. It's no simple child's game, it's a puzzle addiction, and I can't bend the rules."

"That's fair enough," said Kurama.

"Souls are so pretty. I like the girl's best. Souls are the only thing you can't make stronger by training, you can only make them darker. What do you say Shuuichi? Should I make mine darker now by breaking these? It feels so strange, I have this power over people. You must feel it all the time. Yes, maybe I'll just make a little scratch."

"I'm warning you. You so much as bruise what's in your hand and I'll show you pain. The view of your soul will cease to matter because you will not be judged when you die. You will no longer exist," Kurama told Kaito calmly, but in a no bullshit tone. San smiled, loving every minute of it. She missed him even more at this moment, having seen only his human act that he put on at school for the past few weeks. Not that she didn't love how he pretended to be a wimp, but his cunning and such were things that she loved about him most. His demon side is what she fell in love with.

"Interesting. You'll have to show me how to talk like that once I beat you," said Kaito. San noticed something. She could feel her mates spirit energy, but it was light, almost like a whisper. She saw then, he was using one of the plants in the room. She followed one of the branches, and it was going straight towards Mitsunari, along the ceiling. The two of them had no idea. Her smile grew, how she loved this man! It was fast, the transfer of the key to Kurama's hand, she was surprised that she had seen it at all.

"How long can you afford this braising façade?" her mate asked, holding up the key he had retrieved.

"How did you get that key?" Kaito stood, walking towards the door. "Yana?"

"He's bluffing you man. I got it here, in my pocket," said Mitsunari. He reached his hand into it and found that it was indeed not there. "It's gone! But he never even came in the hall."

Kurama waited until they noticed the plant. He heard the gasp and then spoke, "I was not stopped since I refrained from violence. With gentle discreetness, I merely borrowed the key from your coat pocket." Kurama then unleashed more of his energy, and a plant grew from behind his seat, "Seems we can use our powers in your territory, so long as we follow the rules."

"So you picked my pockets with some greenery? You are a first class freak!" declared Mitsunari. He then held his hands up in defense after catching San's glare from atop the book shelf.

"Keep those souls in perfect condition Kaito. You've found yourself in over your head."

"You can't intimidate me. I still have the upper hand. You still have to beat me at my game."

"Tell me, is it possible to change your taboo? Naturally, neither of us will say the word, thus we are locked in a stalemate. But I was hoping we could increase the challenge."

"Of course Shuuichi, I've been planning that all along. I don't want to beat my great advisory with a simple word gag. I want a true battle of wits. I can change the rules when I please."

"Then let me determine the rules of the word game and I assure you, I will force you to speak the taboo within 45 minutes and thereby freeing my friend's souls."

"Oh? You're that confident you can outwit me?" questioned Kaito. Kurama just smirked. "Alright, and what if you cannot get me to break the rules in 45 minutes?"

"Then you may have my soul as well," said Kurama. San wished to holy hell she could smack him right now. How could he put his own soul on the line? It wasn't that she didn't have full confidence in him, but really, he was supposed to be smart.

"Oh, my..."

"So, are you in? Or will you cower from a game in which you clearly have the advantage?"

The room was silent for a moment, and then, "I accept your challenge. So, let's hear the taboo that ended Shuuichi's life."

"It starts with one letter, but as time moves forward, we eliminate more. There are 26 letters in the alphabet and 45 minutes to play, thus every 104 seconds we will lose another letter we can say. Starting from the end at Z and moving backwards."

"Yes, and at the end of the game, every letter will be taboo. What a fascinating imagination. This game will be fun," said Kaito. He looked at the clock, "Let's see... It's fifty minutes after midnight. Why don't we start neatly at 1?"

"Sounds perfect," agreed Kurama. San smiled, this really was going to be fun. She leaned against the wall, waiting for them to begin. She couldn't believe the plan was finally in motion. It would be over soon, and she would be able to talk to him, see him. She missed him so much, and hated the torture he was going through. She felt so bad for everything he had been through, all because of her.

"Follow the rule, both host and guest. Don't utter a letter crossed off the list. Each 104 seconds know to, another letter becomes taboo," said Kaito, ten minutes later. "We begin. Better get any Z words in before they becomes taboo. Zealous zebras and zinc zippers," San rolled her eyes. He was so stupid at times. Time wore on, and Z was no longer usable. "The next will be even more of a challenge. We'll forfeit the letter Y. Why, oh why do we lose the letter Y? What if we need to cry? I find this game very enjoyable, don't you?"

"Be careful Kaito, you'll tire yourself and make a mistake," Kurama warned. This was boring in all honesty. She knew that her mate was working on something. He would have this all figured out by now, he was just waiting. At least she knew that he didn't find Kaito's commentary any amusing either. Time progressed, as it always does, and five letters were now taboo.

"At last, a challenge. It's rather remarkable. So much I use those last letters."

"Losing S, T, and U should be a greater obstacle," said Kurama. The seconds passed, and more letters became unusable. It was starting to get interesting now.

"A challenging mind game Minamino, ready for... conceding?"

"No."

"Inform me, a plan cooking here?"

"Running clock, forbidding more of freedom." San laughed mentally at their dialogue, trying to pass the time. The clock ticked, and then Kaito stood. "Going off?"

"Need a john," he answered, walking to the bathroom. He spoke to Mitsunari briefly, and then proceeded to relieve his bladder.

San watched as her mate's power began to flourish. What was he up to? She heard a noise just then. She saw that Mitsunari was knocked out. She turned back to her mate, who was now willing the plants to grow. And grow they did. They traveled all along the walls and floors of the room, occupying all the space, like a jungle. Kurama was then looking around, and San hid. He couldn't see her, that would ruin everything. She flinched when she saw him jump up to the chandelier. If he turned, he would be able to see her, so she hid behind the bookcase, willing some of his plants to cover her. She had to do it carefully, or else he'd be able to feel her. She made sure she had a peep hole, so she could see what his plan was from up there.

She heard a door close and knew that Kaito was back. All she could hear was rustling of leaves, as Kaito made his way somewhere in this maze. It all stopped when she saw Kurama watch below him. Everything was silent, time was running out. What was he up to? Finally, she saw him lean over, and slowly lower himself upside down. she jumped to the book case again, to see what he was doing. She had to use a lot of force to not laugh. He looked so ridiculous hanging upside down. He screamed, using only the sound A, surprising Kaito. Neat. Except that it didn't work, or so she thought. Kaito turned around and saw Kurama as he was, and couldn't contain his laughter. He made a combination of sounds, causing his soul to separate from his body. His territory disappeared, and Kurama sat once more in the chair. The souls of the others were restored, and Kurama retreated his jungle.

"Yeah, alright! I'm back in the flesh!" said Kuwabara.

"Kaito's territory is no more," said Kurama.

"Yeah, out tricked at his own crazy game of pretend! He got it in the end, but man, we'd be toasted without you Kurama," San had to agree with Kuwabara's statement, "And no thanks to you Hiei!" the teen turned to the fire apparition. San laughed quietly to herself, he had a purple soul, and he even managed to look guilty. Just for a moment though, "Getting us in trouble with your 'I'm so tough' act!"

"Hn," was his only response.

"It's true, he nearly had us. Ironic after all his great intentions, the one thing to unravel him was a laugh," said Kurama. He sat there for a moment, with a smug look on his face. San couldn't wait to throw this in Kaito's face, and win the ¥200 bet she had going with Kido and Mitsunari.

...

just like to point out that when the letters S, T and U became unavailable, Kurama would have technically lost. "Running" has the letter U in it.. great job, funimation :p


	30. Recognition

San stayed atop the book case while the others figured out where to go. She knew that they couldn't get passed the third door without Mitsunari, so she waited until they realized that. She was mostly worried about if they made it to the end, and how upset Kurama would be with her. Maybe she should continue to hide? No, that wouldn't make anything better. After seeing him today as she knew him, it would be harder still to be around him. While she did enjoy her game at school with him, she wanted to re-establish physical contact with him. She supposed she'd rather have him angry for a bit, then forever live in sorrow. She hated seeing that look in his eyes, and she'd be damned if she would continue to let it sit there so long as she had the power. It was worth the moments of anger. Her attention perked back to them when they walked through the door again. She watched as they woke up Mitsunari.

"Nap time is over," said Kurama. San noticed something just then. While it had the appearance of Kuwabara being second in command, when it actually came to fact, it was her mate that took over. She supposed they went to him because of his intelligence. In her list, he had little less power over her than the pack leader, which was currently Genkai. When she wasn't around, it was Yusuke, and then Kurama.

"Looks like you guys defeated my old pal, Kaito. Very impressive" said Mitsunari, after looking around.

"So far we have only been successful in opening two of the three doors that will lead us to the subsequent room."

"Huh. Don't tell me that's the reason you guys woke me up?"

"We woke you up because we discovered this posted warning," said Kurama, holding the note up to Mitsunari. "The one that says Yusuke dies if we open the door without your approval."

"That is a good reason," Mitsunari replied brightly. San smiled.

"If you know what's good for you, you will give us your approval. Unless you are harboring a death wish," Hiei spoke.

"May I remind you that those kind of tactics don't work here Hiei. So keep your mouth shut and do exactly what I tell you."

Hiei growled and Kuwabara was furious. "It really chaps my hide that we have to sit here and swallow this dweeb's abuse!" said Kuwabara. Chaps my hide? What the hell?

Mitsunari just laughed at him. "Follow me then," he said, turning around and leading them through the door. San jumped down from her post and stood outside the door until she heard the third one close. She proceeded through the first one and then jumped to the small hallway that would lead her to observe from the vents.

"Now what's going on?" she heard Kuwabara question. She saw Mitsunari standing slightly off from them and then waiting.

"Interesting..." trailed Kurama.

"Geeze, this place is big. You've got your own stair museum."

"Yusuke is on the next floor up, but each of you has to take a different stair case to him," explained Mitsunari.

"What?" said Kuwabara in outrage.

"What's your reason for separating us?" asked Kurama suspiciously.

"My reason? It's like the old saying goes... That's for me to know, and you to find out," answered Mitsunari, laughing slightly.

"Listen weasel-"

"Kuwabara," Kurama cut him off, "I understand your frustration, but if we wish to help Yusuke, we must comply." Kuwabara just growled. Mitsunari laughed again and San waited for them to do something.

"Oh!" exclaimed Botan, dropping to her knees and pulling out her case, "I almost forgot." She opened the case and rummaged in it for a moment, "I knew this stuff would come in handy. Let me see... Here it is! This clever little gadget is guaranteed to blow you away!" she declared, holding up a circular object. "The all but stylish Mejiru Seal!"

"Oh great, here we go..." trailed Kuwabara. San narrowed her eyes in a curious way, "Why Botan, what can it do?" he encouraged her. San wanted to laugh out loud so badly!

"Glad you asked, it's a modified version of the classic tattoo seal used as the inmate tracking device in the Reikai jails," she began, sticking the seal onto Kuwabara. "Only the applier can remove it!" she continued, while Kuwabara tried to rip the seal off. Clever.

"Hey look, it's stuck like glue," Kuwabara demonstrated.

Botan laughed, "Let me try," she said. It came off easily for her, "Ta-da!"

"Whoa, awesome! What else?"

"If the person who attached the seal dies, it will automatically fall off. Also, the seal will change colours to indicate that person's physical status. Blue if all is well. Yellow if slightly hurt, and red if seriously injured. All in one convenient package! Pretty neat huh?"

Kurama walked over and took one of them from Botan. He observed it for a moment, "I see, so we should write our names on the seals and attach them to one another, then we'll know immediately if someone is hurt," she loved the way his mind worked. He turned to look at Mitsunari, "Hopefully these are allowed?" he inquired. Mitsunari looked at her mate for a moment, then his eyes found their way to her. She nodded, it wouldn't make a difference.

Mitsunari sighed, "Whatever, I don't care," was his answer. So the team wrote their names on each seal, all of them being placed on another. Everyone, except Hiei, who refused to have anything of the like on his clothes.

"Well, they're all blue. Glad to know we're all okay," said Botan, "Everyone except you, Hiei," she said, turning towards the small fire youki.

"Hn. I don't need them," he spoke.

"Sure you do. You want to know we're okay," said Botan, walking towards him and holding out the seal with her name.

"Touch me with that and I will break your wrist," said Hiei, grabbing the girl's arm. Kurama simply just placed one on there before Hiei had time to react. He growled.

"Could it be that Hiei has already forgotten that his soul was the first to be lost?" asked Kurama. San smiled at his antics. Botan placed her seal on him as well, followed by Kuwabara.

"So there, rebel," said Botan.

"She told you," Kuwabara laughed. They all chose a stairway after that. "I'm ready when the rest of you guys are!"

"I'm all set here," said Botan.

"Let'a begin," said Kurama, "Remember, caution is our ally," were the last words before the four of them began ascending the stairs. Once they were out of sight, San kicked the grid off of the vent and jumped down to stand beside Mitsunari. He acknowledged her, while still chewing his gum.

"Those seals were a good idea, I'm surprised you approved them," he spoke to her.

"It won't make a difference with you're power. You should have known that instead of risking a look towards me," she replied. "Call Kido, and let him know that they're on the way."

He nodded, pulling out his phone, "Kido, everything's going as planned, they're on their way up right now." He waited for a moment, and then hung up the phone. He looked at San once more, "So, which one do I take?"

"Kuwabara."

"Won't that be obvious?"

"Yes, but at the same time, he's the only logical choice. Hiei and Kurama are too quick for you, and Botan isn't a fighter."

Mitsunari just shrugged, and then followed Kuwabara up the stairs. San watched him go, and then turned to look in the direction her mate went. She knew this was against the rules, but fuck it, she was going. She walked up the stairs, passed the illusions and found him. She had to be discreet, and yet, she wanted him to know she was there. She took off the wig and classes, shaking her head slightly. She waited for the right moment.

Kurama walked up the stairs calmly, keeping himself alert. Something caught his attention just then. San? His mate, she was here.. or was she? Her scent filled his nostrils, and he looked around. He gasped just then. There were doors floating everywhere. He stopped, looking around. He saw a light in the distance. Someone was shadowing over him. Someone with sun touched hair... Tawny eyes... they were staring back at him.

"San?" he felt his eyes begin to water.

"This way," she told him in a light tone, and then disappeared behind the door. Kurama ran, he had to see if she was really there or not. But as he came into the door, he did not see her behind it. Instead, he saw Yusuke in the distance with another boy. Hiei, Kuwabara and Botan had appeared as well, through different doors. They walked to stand with each other, looking at the mysterious blond. Kurama sighed, it wasn't San he saw. It was just a trick of the staircase. But the scent...

"Welcome," said the strange teenager.

"What's up guys?" asked Yusuke.

"Urameshi!" said Kuwabara. "What's going on? Why are you just standing there like that?"

"Just stay where you are. I'm here because I'm stuck, and if you get close enough, he'll step on your shadow and you'll be stuck to," said Yusuke.

"That's true, but I'm not the one you should be worried about," San heard Kido tell them from behind the door. She was standing there with Genkai, waiting for her time to emerge. Her disguise was back on, so that the old woman didn't suspect any of the demoness' activities. "One of your friends is an impostor."

"What is that supposed to mean?" demanded Kuwabara.

"Now, let's begin the next game, shall we? Like I said, one of your companions is not who they appear to be."

"What the...?" began Yusuke.

"Think he'll get it?" Genkai asked the wolf beside her.

"Not sure, I'm hoping so though, I'll double my money if he does," San replied. Yes, the four of them had a bet going on this one as well. If Yusuke guessed right, San would double her money. She thought it was funny that the humans bet against her. She could hear Botan and Kuwabara's outrage.

"Your only objective in this game is to determine the impostor, in only 10 minutes, beginning now. As for the four of you, you're only allowed to speak when Yusuke has asked you a direct question," Kido explained.

"I don't know this guy! How do we know that he's telling us the truth?" asked Kuwabara.

"I find it hard to believe that someone could disguise themselves so perfectly in such a short amount of time," Botan doubted.

"I thought I told you not to speak unless you were spoken to. Don't you care what happens to your buddies?" Kido reminded them.

"Hn. I can easily slit your throat before you even think about doing anything to the detective," said Hiei.

"You don't follow me, do you? Whoever is being impersonated is currently in our prison. Mr. Urameshi isn't the only one at risk. For those of you lacking in manners, that means should anything happen here, the other person we've captured will promptly be killed."

"It seems your group has thought of everything," said Kurama. San beamed, she sure did!

"Let me guess. If I don't find the fake one in ten minutes, you'll kill the real one?" asked Yusuke.

"Uh oh. Nine left," announced Kido. "You're wasting time. I suggest you get started."

"Don't rush me! Let's see... What's the best way to weed out a fake? Kuwabara, what's your blood type and when were you born?" Yusuke asked his friend. Genkai opened the door a crack, so that she could see. San moved to look as well.

"Figures! You have to suspect me first off!" Kuwabara retorted.

"Oh get over yourself, and answer me!"

"Okay Mr. Crabbypants, but do you even know my birthday or blood type in the first place?"

"Huh. I guess I don't."

"This is pathetic!" declared Botan.

"Kurama. Please tell me your mom's name and how old she is," Yusuke continued.

"Her name is Shiori. She is 40 years old and she will be married in the fall," Kurama answered. San gasped. She had no idea, but then again, he'd have no reason to mention it to her.

"That's great! Tell her congratulations for me. Am I invited to the wedding?"

"Only seven minutes..." Kido put Yusuke back on track.

Yusuke groaned, "Alright, Botan. Prove to me who you are by telling me your boob size." San smacked her forehead. Oh Yusuke, you idiot.

"Have you lost your mind completely? You and I both know that I have never told you anything of the sort!" Botan shrieked in outrage.

"You told me when we were on the roof of the school, remember?"

She looked stunned, trying to remember. Her face went back to angry,"You just made that up! You disgusting pervert!"

"Damn... and you almost fell for it to..."

"Hn. This stupidity is making me nauseous," said Hiei.

"Fine, we'll go to you. What's your little sister's name?"

"You know her well enough, I refuse to play this nonsense game."

San saw Kuwabara walk over to Hiei, "Hey that's weird! I didn't know you had a little sis' Hiei. I bet she's a little pint sized pain in the ass just like you, probably ugly to." San chuckled quietly to herself. Ignorance is bliss.

"I will kill you."

"I forgot Kuwabara doesn't know the relation," said Botan. Dummy. He turned towards her in alarm, while Kurama put a finger to his lips, shushing the girl. Kuwabara noticed it though.

"So everyone knows about her but me?" he was not happy to learn this.

"Well... Basically," Kurama answered, putting his hands behind his back and trying to look as innocent as possible. San smiled, finding it cute.

"Why didn't you punks clue me in earlier!" Kuwabara demanded of them.

"Its... complicated," Kurama looked at Hiei.

"Well, what are you looking at me for?" asked Hiei.

Kurama sighed angrily, "We don't have time to talk about this!" he told them.

"Awe, have a heart Kurama, tell me what her name is..." said Kuwabara.

"Five minutes left," announced Kido.

"I'll talk to you about her later!" Kurama told the teen. He was irritated, that San could tell, but knew he didn't have much power.

"Okay! You better mean it!" said Kuwabara, and then he turned back to Yusuke. "Any day now Urameshi."

"Get off me! I'm going as fast as I can!" Yusuke told them. "Huh? Um guys... What's the deal with the stupid looking name tags?"

"If a certain someone was paying more attention when I was explaining their tools to them, they would know that these are Mejuri seals!" exclaimed Botan.

Yusuke laughed slightly, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that..."

"You know, sometimes I think you're the impostor!" Botan accused.

"Wait, that's the one where the only one who can remove the seal is the one who put it on right?"

"Yes, because both humans and demons have their own unique energy print," but then Botan gasped in realization.

"Hey that's it!" Yusuke caught on. San watched as the four of them stood in a circle.

"The impostor cannot remove the seals," said Kurama. They all reached for the seal the bore their name. Genkai and San waited, and then they all ripped the seal off without a problem. The room was filled with gasps. San smirked. "This is rather troubling..."

"What the hell?" exclaimed Yusuke.

"This smells fishy guys," said Kuwabara.

"But this is impossible! These things are supposed to be foolproof!" said Botan startled.

"So there was never an impostor to begin with," said Hiei. The demon turned towards Kido, "He's been bluffing the whole time!"

"Good guess, but I assure you there's a fake. Yanagisawa's power is copy, and that is why your seals don't work. He has the ability to copy not only someone's appearance, but their voice, their mannerisms, their memories, and yes, their so called energy print. He could copy your own mother and you would never tell the difference, not even with your little magic stickers," explained Kido.

"Bastard," said Yusuke.

"From what my watch says, your times run out. In a few moments, I'm going to release you. Then it will be decision time. I want you to approach the person you think is the impostor, and hit them as hard as you can."

"Are you insane?"

"Sorry champ, but that's the only way to disarm Yana's power. He has to be hit so hard that it knocks him unconscious. Of course, if you chose the wrong person I'll have your captured friend killed. So be smart okay?"

"What's your deal? What are getting from doing this to us?"

"I thought you'd never ask. You've made a lot of friends and enemies, Yusuke, and now, we're doing one of them a special favour. Now, make your pick," said Kido, stepping off of Yusuke's shadow. San watched, hoping that he would chose right. Yusuke stood in front of the four, trying to think of his choice. "You only have 30 seconds to choose," said Kido. Yusuke still stood, staring, "If you want, I'll just have the hostage killed and save you the trouble?" Still, there was no movement. "You have 15 seconds..."

"Enough," said Yusuke, "I've decided. Just don't take this personally..." and Yusuke began to run. "... I hope I'm right!" Yusuke powered up. He punched Kuwabara so hard, and San smiled. Mitsunari changed back into himself, flying into the wall behind him from the force of the punch he received.

"Wow, you actually figured it out. How did you know the impostor was Kuwabara?"

"I chose him because I know he's used to me pounding his face in, if nothing else. Besides, Hiei and Kurama are too smart and untrusting to walk right into your trap," began Yusuke.

"Yes. Or scream the word hot," Kurama shot at Hiei. San laughed quietly, ignoring the feel of Genkai's glare. Truth be told, San was not very happy with her mentor right now, for forcing her to keep this secret from her mate. Hiei growled.

"Now that still left me Botan. And if you dirt bags were low enough to take advantage of the only none fighter, it wouldn't matter if I lost. Even if you killed me, I would come back from the dead and dropkick your ass. So Kuwabara was the safest bet," Yusuke finished his explanation.

"My hero!" cried Botan. San smiled again.

"I must say, you're quite impressive," said Kido.

Yusuke turned around, "The game's over. Now cough up Kuwabara!"

"And he better not be injured!" added Botan.

"Kuwabara's just fine. And I will return him in the near future," said Kido. Genkai closed the peep hole, for dramatic purposes San assumed. "But first off, I'd like to introduce to you the master of this plan," said Kido. The doors opened. Genkai walked out with San at her side. They stepped into the light, earning surprised looks from a few of them. San caught Kurama's eye, he was confused and yet, curious. The lights turned on, leaving them without darkness.

"I... can't believe it. Why would you do something like this?" asked Yusuke. Genkai just stood. Obviously the boy didn't recognize her, but then again, neither did her own mate. "Tell me you crazy old hag!" Kido dropped his phone and to his knees. San rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me, I failed you master," Kido groveled.

"Cool it with the theatrics Kido. If we're going to be honest here, we were counting on you to screw up," said Genkai.

"You never cease to surprise me Genkai. I thought you might have been behind this little ruse," said Kurama. He was staring directly at San however, and now he looked angry. She did not back down his stare. Though she felt bad, she was following orders, and he had to understand that.

"This doesn't make any sense! Why don't you explain it fox boy, cause I'm obviously going nuts," said Yusuke.

"She was trying to teach us a very valuable lesson. A lesson about perception."

"Yes, and it's a lesson you must learn very well. I guarantee this won't be the last time you come into contact with individuals who possess the power of territory," said Genkai.

Botan turned to the fox, "Kurama, when did you realize it was Genkai?"

"When we had reached the top of the stairs. If they had truly used their resources, wanted it more, we most definitely would have been defeated," he answered. His eyes never left San.

"Oh give me a break!" exclaimed Yusuke.

"But there was an ulterior motive here. I realize that whoever orchestrated this was trying to tell us something about ourselves. That would require someone who knows us well, and meant no harm," Kurama finished.

"Hn. You still haven't given us a reason. You haven't sufficiently explained what you're trying to accomplish just by rubbing their powers in our faces. And another thing, who the hell is that girl?" asked Hiei, pointing straight at San. She smirked, but still held her ground against Kurama.

"I'm a master of disguise apparently. Of course, fooling my mate is one thing, but fooling you is incredible, especially with that jagan eye, Hiei," San smirked. She took off the wig and the glasses, revealing her sun touched hair and tawny eyes. The others gasped, but Kurama's eyes were hard. Oh, he was pissed, but she stood, staring defiantly right back at him. She would not back down, despite the pain she caused him. Most of her anger was with Genkai, but San would never show that to Kurama. She also knew that he expected no less of her.

"San, alright!" said Yusuke, walking over to give her a hug. She returned it warmly, taking her tawny eyes off of her mate's for only a brief second.

"Can we get on with it then? You still haven't answered my first question," said Hiei, though, he did nod towards San.

"The four of you are well-trained fighters. However, as three of you found out, there will instances when your physical strength will not be able to help you, so you must depend on your mind. If you had used that lump three feet above your ass, you might have held on to your soul. Maybe two feet for you," said Genkai. San laughed, and Hiei was in alarm.

"Are you for real? You actually let those jerks steal your soul? Show some skill," said Yusuke, turning to look at Hiei.

"Oh, and what about you dimwit?"

"Oh, come on. I wouldn't have been fine if I knew about that shadow thing," Yusuke waved it off.

"Are you foolish enough to think that one of your enemies will hand over that information? If an enemy catches you, you're as good as dead. Try to remember that!"

"Time out, grandma, you keep saying enemy, but these guys aren't actually bad... right? So, who the hell are they?"

"Go on, inform them, Kido."

"Yes master. Kaito, Yana, and I, we all went to her compound for advice when we developed our powers. That's where we learned about you, Yusuke, and your team. That was the same day San had woken up after a week. Genkai told us, and her, of a plan, and San was the one who told us how to handle all of you. She filled in the blanks, and told us everything about all of you. She even guided us while we put it into motion. The truth of it is, we've only had these abilities for about a month. Same with all the new psychics," explained Kido.

"New psychics?" questioned Botan.

"The cause of which is our greatest threat," said Genkai.

"You're making me nervous," said Yusuke.

"I assume some of you have already noticed the demon insects flying through the city," stated Genkai.

Kurama gasped in realization, his frustration put aside for the moment, "You don't mean?"

"Yes. Someone is carving out a tunnel to the demon world. Sakyo's plan from the Dark Tournament was not buried with him."

"What Sakyo plan?" asked Yusuke.

"Yeah..." San heard Kuwabara's voice from behind her, "Genkai just filled me in. Apparently Koenma found out and never told us. Sakyo wanted money so he could drill some doomsday tunnel."

"But, more importantly we've answered the question, boxers or briefs?" said Yusuke. San let out a giggle. She missed the boys!

Kuwabara growled, "Would you be serious for a second!" he said, strutting over to Mitsunari to get his clothes, "It's not my fault that idiot stole my clothes."

"But how could this be? I thought Sakyo died when he blew up the stadium," said Botan.

"He's dead, we're sure of that. By now he's rolling in his grave because someone continued his plan without him," said Genkai.

"It just keeps going, doesn't it?" stated Yusuke. San sighed, looking back into the angry eyes of her mate.


	31. Mission Briefing

Anger. That was all she could see in those green orbs in front of her. They bore into her tawny eyes, as she stood defiantly in front of her mate. Their plan was over, and Genkai had stepped forward, revealing herself the mastermind. San had also gotten rid of her disguise, and she was happy about it. She expected her mate to be vexed with her, but she was following orders, and he had to understand that. At least he wasn't in much more pain, that was something she hated seeing more than anger. Genkai and San stood in front of Botan, Hiei, Kurama, and Yusuke.

"A tunnel? But how?" asked Yusuke. Yes, a tunnel, that was being drilled with Sakyo's technology. Someone had restored it, and was trying to carry out his last wish before death. That was his goal going into the Dark Tournament.

"There is a border zone dividing our world and there's. Somehow, there is a breach in that zone," said Genkai.

"It is known as the Pseudo Space," began Kurama. San stared intently, the defiance still evident in her eyes, "Time portals of it have been opened from time to time, allowing demons such as Hiei, San and myself to slip through. But they are rare, and quickly close, trapping us."

"Hn. You're wrong old hag. If there were a hole out of this vile world, I would have taken it," said Hiei.

"Getting you to believe me would have been a pain in the ass. I'll let you see it yourself," said Genkai. The room was silent, the others waiting for her to make a move.

"Enough suspense, where is it?" asked Yusuke.

"Mushiyori City."

"Mushiyori City?" exclaimed Yusuke, "That close? That's like a Sunday afternoon drive from here." San had no idea what they were talking about. She had only been around the city, isolated mostly at the temple She was brought out of her thoughts by buzzing noise.

"Uh, that must be Koenma," said Botan. She set down the case and opened it. They all gathered around to see what he had to say. San happened to fall in beside Kurama, and she sighed sadly. He looked at her, but her eyes were focused on the screen. He couldn't help but be angry at her, all the sorrow he felt over the past few weeks, and she didn't even tell him that she was alive. Instead, she just played a game, deceiving him.

"Botan, is Yusuke with you? This is an emergency!" San saw Koenma appear on the screen.

"We're all here Koenma. Is this about the border-tunnel?" asked Genkai.

"Genkai! I forgot I brought you back to life!"

"You're slow on the uptake this time. It seems that whoever's doing this is has used the typical 'long after the tournament' that caught even you off guard. In the last month, over thirty humans have come to me for help, suddenly finding themselves to have an assortment of supernatural powers. These two are prime examples," said Genkai, referring to Mitsunari and Kido standing beside San, "The traits of the effect may vary, but they share one thing in common. They all come from Mushiyori City."

"I guess a small part of me is happy that the influence hasn't stretched further yet. But that means that we've already advanced into stage two."

"Stage two? What does that mean? You moved into training pants?" asked Yusuke. San stifled a laugh.

"No. No it doesn't, but I'm not sure how much of it I can reveal. It is secret high classified information from the highest division of Rekai intelligence."

"Well how can I help you if I don't know anything?"

"You make an interesting point. Okay everyone, here's how it shakes down. There are four stages to such an apocalyptic breach. The first stage is demon energy thickens in the human world, allowing demon parasites to thrive. As the size of the breach increases, we move to stage two, in which normal humans find themselves blessed with super human powers. Now stage three is where things really heat up. Demon energy floods the streets, and low class monsters spawn at will. They aren't smart, or strong, but they are violent. In the fourth and final stage, the border tunnel breach retrieves a stabilized diameter over two kilometers, allowing total passage."

"Total passage for who?" asked Botan.

"Yeah, just who do I have to fight?" asked Yusuke.

"With a tunnel that gigantic, apparitions all the way through the C and B classes will be able to pass between worlds," said Koenma.

"Classes?"

"Reikai ranks every demon according to their power. I never told you this because there wasn't any point. But here's a nifty frame of reference. All the demons in the upper level B class are the same strength as Toguro."

"Toguro was just a B class?" Yusuke looked like he was ready to shit his pants. "Nearly killed us all and he's just a B class?"

"The Makai is an ancient world, and it's depths are endless. In truth, there are vast parts of it's territory that Reikai has absolutely no control over."

"Well I never knew that..." trailed Botan.

"Think of the demon world as a giant, underground building. Basement after basement stretching downward into an infinite void. Out of all that, we only control half of the first basement."

"Then you're a pretty crappy ruler," said Yusuke.

"It would be bloodbaths and armageddon if we tried to take it all at once. Our only choice had been to hold our ground and expand gradually over the centuries. We cannot awake the anger of the A class, and S class, or super A class that live at the bottom. Not even my father and all of his armies can beat the S class demons."

"Now Koenma, you and King Enma are not the fighting type. If you knew of such a danger, then surely you've taken precautions," said Genkai.

"Sure. To seal off the pseudo space around Makai, spirit world has raised a powerful kakai barrier."

"Oh great, barriers. And you had us worrying over nothing," said Botan. She then realized something, "Hold then, so why are demons still passing through?"

"We had to make priorities and stop the A and S class demons above all else, but even our resources are limited. The only way to make a barrier large enough was to spread the energy into a net."

"I see, like a filter."

"Yes. While B class demons can squeeze through, the larger A and S class demons are held at bay."

"NO!" exclaimed Yusuke, "How could you sign off on a plan like that? You intentionally made it so that hundreds of demons like Toguro can just prance on over here whenever they want?"

"You have to imagine the alternative, Yusuke. If just one S class demon crossed into the Ningenkai..."

"Would someone please just tell me what your talking about?" demanded Kuwabara. "Geeze man, you know it's not my fault that my powers aren't working right now, and I can't hear what Koenma's saying. We're a team you know, and teams don't leave a member in the dark. Just keep me in the loop!" The group was silent. San took a moment to look at them, and then at her mate. Her attention went back to Koenma. "Okay, now I'm worried... What's wrong guys?" San turned to him, and briefly summed up all that had been said so far. Kuwabara's face was contorted in horror. "My life, it's just starting, there are still things I need to do! I need to marry a girl, grow my first mustache! And now you're telling me that someone's digging a big hole, so that demons like Toguro can start attacking us all at once? And there's the A and the S guys that not even spirit world can control! Has hope truly left us? Is this the end of everything?"

"Get over it," Genkai put a stop to his drama. "We'll talk about our plan in a minute. But I need to rescue Kaito first. And by me, I mean you San."

"Why me? Are you that lazy that you can't do it yourself?" she grumbled at Genkai. She was still mad at the woman for making her hide from her mate. Kurama was surprised that San had said something like that to her.

"To test you," was Genkai's answer.

"Kaito? Oh, right, the book worm, I forgot about him," said Kuwabara. The group made their way back downstairs, using an alternative route this time. Kaito was in the same spot, clearly not going to move. San could feel Genkai glare at her, and she knelt down to put the soul back where it belonged. She could feel Kurama watching her the whole time. San stood, and then Kaito came to.

"A full house, I take it everything went as you planned, master Genkai," said Kaito.

"You played your part well," complimented Kurama. "You lost, but it was a stirring introduction."

"I wasn't playing along, I was trying my hardest to defeat you. For once, I wanted to see you lose. But I'll just have to wait a little longer."

"Nice thinking brain boy. So you put your soul on the line because he's beaten you in a few math quizzes? What if grandma or San hadn't been here to save you?" asked Yusuke.

"Simple. He would have faded into nothing," answered Genkai. Kuwabara gasped. "Kaito's a risk taker, that's why these three came to me for help in the first place. He removed Mitsunari's soul and they didn't know how to put it back. A soul is fragile without a body or ghost to protect it. In one full day, it would break apart."

"And yet, your curious mind could not help but pose the question," said Kurama.

"That reminds me..." San mused out loud. She then held out her hand to the territorial humans, "You guys owe me double," she told them, smiling.

"Double? What the hell are you talking about?" asked Yusuke.

"These idiots placed bets on you and Kurama. I suppose they just had to pass the time, but while we're on the subject, I get ¥200," said Genkai.

"Wait a second, bet on what?"

"There were two bets going. I bet Kaito that he would lose against Kurama because well, let's face it, I always have the utmost faith in him," San began her explanation, giving her mate a nasty look at that last comment, "The other bet was whether or not you would guess right about Mitsunari. I bet that you would, everyone else bet against you."

"Thanks grandma, good to know you don't have faith in me," scoffed Yusuke.

"Well it would be easier if you didn't get kidnapped in the first place dimwit," retorted Genkai. The boys emptied their pockets, paying what they owed to Genkai and San.

"Well, why don't I give myself a proper introduction now," said Kaito, moving on. "Yu Kaito. I have the power of taboo."

"My name's Asato Kido. My power is shadow."

"Mitsunari Yanagisawa, and I call my talent copy."

"Like I told you, they all live in Mushiyori City. It's been a full month since they developed their powers and there are many others like them," said Genkai.

"That's only a few weeks after the closing of the Dark Tournament," said Kurama.

"Yeah, and that was only at the beginning of stage two right? So that means it was just days after I fought Toguro when this whole tunnel business got started..." trailed Yusuke. That infuriating buzzing noise made its sound again.

"We just finished calculating the growth rate in that tunnel guys," said Koenma, once he appeared on the screen. "It's bad. As is, we'll be at stage four in three weeks."

"Three weeks?" exclaimed Yusuke. "There's got to be something we can do. Can't you like, close the hole back up?"

"The only way is to stop the tunnel's creator. This isn't a normal hole, it isn't physical yet. It's a distortion in space time, 1.3 kilometers. Once it gets to 2 kilometers, it stabilizes, changing from energy to physical space. You don't use a drill to dig a hole like this, you use a psychic, nested at the center point."

"So you know where the guy is, and if he's beat down, we're all okay. Then I guess all I've got to do is turn his brain into mush."

"Not so fast Yusuke," said Genkai.

"You guys know the city right? So then take me to that hole!" demanded Yusuke of the three humans standing beside San and behind Genkai. The old woman just flipped Yusuke upside down and let him fall on his head. "Damnit! What is this, be bitchy day?"

"Here's a brilliant concept, try learning from your mistakes! What I wouldn't give for a successor with a brain..."

"Thanks Genkai," San had to throw in there.

"Shut up, you've been intolerable since you came back to life. Dimwit, do you know how much trouble I went to planning this whole ordeal? The whole point of tonight was to teach you one thing, you cannot go into this without understanding your enemies powers. You will lose."

"And you've gone deaf again!" said Yusuke, standing up, "Koenma said we can't wait."

"If the tunnel completes, we're doomed," said Kuwabara.

"That still allows us three weeks, and three questions to answer. How many fighters are in their group? Who is their leader? And, what's the true nature of their powers? Without those answers, attacking would be suicide," said Genkai. Hiei stepped forward.

"Koenma. If these fools are done, I have my own question. In what class do you rank me?" asked Hiei.

"Hiei..." Kurama trailed.

"What? It's a fair question. If Rekai lackies are going to place a letter on me, then I deserve to know."

"Oh very well Hiei, I'll tell you. As I've said, the Toguro brothers were considered an upper B. As of the end of the Dark Tournament, you were ranked in the middle of B class," said Koenma. Hiei didn't look too happy with that answer.

"Underestimate me even now?"

"For the record, when you fought Yusuke, you only had an upper D class ranking. But in less than a year, you've jumped up nearly two full classes, quite an astounding feat to be sure. You have much to be proud of."

"You're a child, don't bother me," said Hiei, walking away.

"Come on," said Yusuke.

"You already have your fox, your wolf, your clown and your hag. I'm not going to watch you anymore."

"You're just going to walk away?" asked Kuwabara, outraged.

"This is your world to look after, not mine. I don't intend to hinder your cause, but I'm not going to help it either."

"Coward. Real men help when they're needed."

"Save that idealism for your fairy tales," said Hiei, walking away. The door closed behind him.

"Well I'm not going to shed any tears Hiei! I'm happy you're gone!" Kuwabara called after him, "He's the same selfish punk he was from the start."

"Yeah, he's the same. He'll come and rescue us at the end when we need him the most," said Yusuke.

"It's hard to predict what he'll do. Humanity's destruction was Hiei's dream. These new developments leave him much to consider," said Kurama. His eyes were back on his mate. He was still angry. The room was silent for a few moments.

"So, what now?" Kuwabara spoke up.

"We move into the city at sunrise and begin scouting. These three will go with us, they could be of some use," answered Genkai.

"You guys game for that?" asked Yusuke.

"What do you think? It's our home town man, we're not going to watch it turn into some demon parade," said Mitsunari.

"Yes, we've already been given our powers. The way I see it, we can either help out the humans or the demons and to tell you the truth, I prefer my own kind," said Kaito.

"Same goes for me. I'm not letting anybody take my turf," said Kido.

"Nice. Now the next job for all of you is to get what sleep you can. In the morning, we'll divide into two teams so we can cover more territory. Until we know more, no one goes home and no one leaves the group. Now I'm returning to the temple with these four, whoever else wants to come better move fast," said Genkai.

Everyone began to pile out of the house. Kurama waited a moment, until everyone was a safe distance away. He walked out of the doors, and saw his mate standing by a tree in the yard. She was looking at the moonlight, her back towards him. She could feel his hateful eyes on her, and wondered when he would speak. He didn't know where to begin.

"San," he spoke. It was a start. She turned to look at him, her eyes full of that same defiance. "How long have you been alive?" he demanded of her.

"Since the weekend before I started school," she answered coldly.

"You hid yourself."

"Yes. Yes I did, how very observant of you."

"You had no right to do that. I know you like to play games, but that was just sick."

"You think I had a choice?"

"You always have a choice."

She grunted, looking away for just a moment, before facing him again, "Just like you have a choice _dear_."

"Explain."

"You didn't even bother to come visiting my grave!" she pointed a finger in accusation, "'Oh, my mates dead, and I feel terrible, but I'm not going to take the time out of my stupid human life to go see her or pay my respects, I'm just going to stick my nose in a text book and hope my guilt goes away'. You bastard. You demand of me when you can't even acknowledge where you're in the wrong? Fuck you."

"How dare you mock me like that."

"There's no how about it, I just did. Maybe you wanted me to die. Couldn't let Karasu have me, because I'm just a prize right? Another treasure to add to your collection. If I just so happen to die, sure, you feel guilty, but you go on as if it's nothing. You're no better than he is," she seethed. Kurama growled at her.

"Do not. Mock. My pain," he warned her.

"Why? What are you going to do? Rip the mark off my shoulder? Go ahead. I'd rather die then know that I'm just another collection to you," she spat at him. She tore her gaze away from him, putting a hand to her head, and looking as if she were wiping away a tear. When she looked, her tawny eyes were still hard, "I'm going to the temple. Come talk to me when you get your brain back, you're acting pretty stupid right now," and she turned her back to him.

"I forbid you to leave right now."

She turned her head slightly, "You are not pack leader," were her last words before she jumped out of sight. Kuama's eyes were fixed on the spot she had just occupied. He lashed out in anger, at the defenseless tree before him. There wasn't a memory he could recall that involved a fight like this. She completely ignored his command, and that wasn't allowed upon the wolf's code. She broke it, and had she still been in the clan, she would be severely punished. If she were with Karasu, she would be severely punished for ignoring a command. That was a big difference between him and the demon that pursued her. She had freedom, she had the choice to ignore commands. The wolf code was too deeply set in her mind that she didn't know another way. Maybe being human changed that now, and he would have to learn how to work with her all over again. Then again, maybe not. He wasn't pack leader, so she was free to ignore him, aside from the fact that he was her mate.

Despite all of these thoughts, she was right. He was being unreasonable, not even giving her a chance. He had to control his temper. She didn't deserve that, and she wouldn't retort like that unless she had a good reason for doing what she did. He knew this, but still could not control his emotions. He looked in the direction of the temple. He wasn't sure if he should go there tonight, but there wouldn't be time tomorrow. He missed her terribly over the time that she was presumed dead. Had they not fought, she would be here to take away all that pain and anguish, but he drove her to leave. He reached into his hair, pulling out the Dragonite seed that he had stashed there years ago. It was his original plan to bring it to life with her after the tournament. The Dragonite plant was a sacred bond among mates, binding them together in such a way that if it were broken, they would die. It had to live off of each of their powers, or else it would die, taking their lives with it. He wanted to do this with her, wanted to make this possible. He put the seed away, staring in the direction of the temple once more. He had to fix this, and quickly.

...

just want to say a quick thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review my story :) subscribe to my community! lol


	32. Ghosts of the Past

Kurama used his demon speed to reach Genkai's temple. He knew that Yusuke was there, as well as the other three humans, Kaito, Yanagisawa and Kido. But more importantly, San was there. He walked up the stairs calmly, knowing that Genkai wouldn't put up with any bullshit. He was hurt that his mate hid from him, but the way she looked at him with such defiance told him that she had a justified reason. And he was going to find out. Hopefully she wouldn't lash out at him, he was a jerk not too long ago. The lights were still on, and Kurama could hear Yusuke and Genkai fighting. He smiled slightly, and then walked in the door.

"You slacker! Things need to be done around here before you go to bed, don't think that just because you haven't been here that you get out of doing the chores!" Genkai yelled.

"Give me a break you hag!"

"No! Get in that damn kitchen and make yourself useful!"

"Oh no you don't! Fuck that!" San protested, emerging from the kitchen. Kurama looked, but she had not noticed him, "Last time he nearly set this whole place on fire!"

"I don't care, he needs to do something."

"Genkai!" cried San. Kurama stared at her. She sounded so like a child, wishing her mother would get her brother to leave her alone. Kurama smiled, they were a mismatched, but functional family. They probably didn't even realize it.

"San, shut up. Yusuke, get in that fucking kitchen and do what San tells you!" Genkai commanded. San growled, while Yusuke grumbled and walked to where she stood. Kurama's presence was finally noticed.

"Hey fox boy, get lost on your way home?" Yusuke acknowledged the demon.

"Well, actually I-"

"Need to speak with me before you do something stupid... again. Yusuke. Kitchen. Now," said Genkai, walking up to the red headed demon. Kurama's eyes went to San first. Her tawny eyes reflected confusion, and even regret, but still hatred. Finally, they went back to defiance and she walked back into the kitchen. "Well? Come on, I'm not getting any younger!" Genkai drew his attention away from his mate. Kurama turned, and followed the old woman out the door. They walked in silence, Kurama wondering what she wanted. His only assumption was that it had to do with San. They stopped at a tall tree in the forest. Kurama observed it, noting how easy it would be to reach the top. "Now listen to me before you go in there and yell at that poor girl for doing her job. I knew San was alive the moment before you buried her."

Kurama looked at Genkai in alarm, "What?"

"Yes. She was trying to reach you, but since she couldn't see, she missed. I wasn't exactly sure until I uncovered one of her hands and felt that her skin was still warm."

"Genkai, she had no pulse!"

"No, she didn't, because demons don't have heart beats you idiot. She was stabbed, but saved her heart. The wound was fatal to the human body, but the demon spirit that's locked away in there didn't want to let go yet. You should know well enough that she's incredibly stubborn, and won't go down that easily. The will to survive saved her, and unleashed dark powers that have been hiding within her."

"Dark powers? But San is a demon of the light..."

"Wrong again. She was born with powers of darkness as well as the powers of light. The past month I've been working with her to master these powers, but I'm sure now you understand the danger."

"Yes. Demons like this only appear once every few millenia. If our enemies know she can harness both light and dark powers-"

"Then she'll be in danger for the rest of her life. Especially with some idiot trying to re-open the link between Makai and Ningekai."

Kurama looked up into the star filled sky. This was the second time he had ever been to the temple, and had seen what his mate was always around. "Genkai, why did she hide from me?"

"Because I told her to. The day she finally found herself was the same day that Kido and the others came to me. Before I died, she told me of a vision she had about them. It was a warning, she knew this would start to take place if Yusuke won the tournament. I knew I would need her help, so I went to see if she had woken up yet, and fortunate me, she did."

"Why did you not inform me that she was still alive before I buried her?"

"I wasn't exactly sure until the next day. Coming back to life isn't exactly as refreshing as it sounds you know. Let's be honest here. It was the middle of the night, and she would have gone straight to you if I hadn't stopped her. When I had forbidden it, she wasn't happy, hell, she's still pretty pissed off at me for it. But she knows, just as you do that she couldn't ignore my command. Kaito was the one that said I could put her in school. I don't know if that was a good or bad idea, but it was the only way she could see you. If you knew, you would have caught on faster than when you were in the mansion. I couldn't have that. So don't go bitching at her for following orders."

"I understand. Just, one more question. Who taught her everything she knows?"

Genkai smirked, "Kaito taught her everything he knew. I just filled in the rest. Would you believe she got it all before the weekend was over?"

"A weekend? Truly?"

"Yeah, the bitch knows her shit. Now go fix this so she'll stop being a pain in my ass. I'm going to go back, I'm hungry."

Kurama nodded and walked back to the temple with the old woman. He walked in, looking for his mate, but she was absent from the table. From where he sat, he could see that she was in the kitchen, cleaning. He looked down at the food, recognizing some of it, and not knowing about the rest. Yusuke sat with a burnt pile in front of him, and Kurama smiled. Must be the results of his help in the kitchen, and San would make him eat that only. Kurama grabbed some of the food that was placed before him, and continued to watch his mate. She was oblivious to her surroundings, working peacefully. He ate some food, and once it hit his taste buds, the memories came flooding back. He hadn't eaten her cooking in years, and he remembered how good it was, and how much he missed it. She hadn't lost her touch, and for that he was happy. The table had small talk, but Kurama ignored them, his eyes focused on San. She finished in the kitchen, and went through another door, disappearing completely. Kurama finished his food and politely excused himself.

"Yusuke, you can do the dishes," stated Genkai.

"What? But I made dinner!" protested Yusuke.

"No, San made dinner, you just got in the way and probably delayed her, burning whatever the hell that is in front of you."

"It's fucking delicious is what it is!"

"That's nice. Do the dishes, I'm going to bed. Get the other boys to help you if you're going to be such a baby about it."

Kurama chuckled lightly, following his path to San's room. She wasn't there, but the door to her garden was open. Kurama stepped through it, smiling at what she had done around here. With her new darkness powers, she had planted new plants that thrived off of them. He looked at one in particular, one that he did not recognize. The leaves were a purple colour in the moonlight, and he reached a hand out to touch it. It shied away and he smiled, grabbing a leaf and feeling it between his fingers. It was really soft on one side, but the other side had small thorns in it. He snatched his hand away when another leaf smacked his hand. He smiled, wiping the small trickle of blood away.

"Halo's don't like to be touched by new comers," he heard his mate's voice behind him. He turned, and saw her standing in the doorway, arms crossed and leaning against the door frame. She was wearing nothing but a bathrobe, her hair wet and cascading past her shoulders. She still had that look of defiance in her tawny eyes. Kurama just looked on, feeling bad for being angry with her. His eyes didn't show it, however.

"Halo's? I've never seen them before," he replied, not knowing how to begin the inevitable conversation.

"Incredibly rare, and hard to come by. I've held their seed for many years, but never actually tried to grow it, knowing that it needed darkness to thrive."

"But with your new powers, you thought you might give it a try?"

"Yeah. Genkai told you?"

"Yes. She explained everything to me," he looked down, "I'm sorry for being angry. I should have known from your expression that you had an explanation for why you hid from me."

San looked down for a moment. At least he understood. She walked towards him, grabbing his hand. He looked into her eyes, pleading for her forgiveness, "There is still one thing that's bothering me," she spoke softly.

"What is it, koi?"

"It's been a month that you've been so depressed and what not. Why didn't you bother coming to visit my grave?" she raised an eyebrow. He smiled sadly. She did have him there.

"Please understand, San. Getting over your death has not been easy, I wasn't even there yet. Although I should have come to visit, I could not bring myself to do it. Not yet..." he trailed, closing his eyes and squeezing her hand. A tear fell, and she licked it away, just as he would have done in their past life together. She kissed him then, feeling bad for letting him live with the sorrow for so long. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as physically possible. They pulled apart, and he rested his forehead on hers, gazing into her tawny eyes. He kissed her this time, softly at first. She would have none of that. The force of her kiss caused him to take a step back, but he soon caught on, leading her back into bedroom. She left him for a moment, just to close the door, but leaving the one to the courtyard open. His green eyes showed his love for her, and she was drawn to him. They mated in the moments that came. All the frustration, the depression, came out in moments of bliss. It ended in perfect harmony for the both of them, her head pressed against his chest, listening to his heart beat. She missed the sound, and she sighed contently.

"I'm sorry. I would have come forward if I could. I did enjoy our game at school though," she whispered at him.

"You did a wonderful job San. I hope you continue. Having you there makes it more enjoyable," he whispered right back at her.

"Perhaps. School isn't really a place for me. I'm not exactly human remember?"

"Neither am I."

"More so than I am I'd say. You've been attending for years, I'll just finish up the term and leave."

"As you wish. There is something else I need to discuss with you."

"Yes?"

"First, I would like to spend the night with you."

"Well, I was kind of hoping you would."

He smiled, "Secondly..."

"Yes?" she asked curiously. He smiled, rising to his feet with her. They did not bother with clothes, as he lead her to the garden. He reached into his hair, and pulled out a single seed, holding it in his hand. She looked, and then gasped slightly, hands coming to her mouth. "This is..." she was so stunned she couldn't even finish her sentence.

"Yes koi. Dragonite."

"How did you get this?"

"I picked it up years ago, off of a youki that challenged me."

"This is very sacred Kurama," she said, looking up at him. He draped an arm around her, kissing her head.

"I know San. But we agreed for life, and this is just merely a symbol to represent that."

"But if we ever part, it will die, and so will you or me, depending on which one of us goes first."

"I'm well aware of that San. After losing you this time, I realized how meaningless life can be. Hopefully, I will not have any priorities left by the time I must depart. But we agreed to eternity, and this is just another step on our journey together. I would have done this a long time ago, but we were unstable then, never spending a lot of time in one place. While we're here, it will be easier to maintain."

"What if we're not here in the next few years?"

"Then we'll simply relocate it, and try starting a family again."

San felt herself tear. She kissed her mate fiercely, and then took the seed from his hand. She looked around trying to think of where she could put this. It wasn't hard to figure out, there was a spot just calling her name. She knelt down, digging a hole and placing the seed inside of it. She buried it, rising to her feet and wiping the dirt off of her legs and hands. Kurama placed his arm around her once more, and then held out his other hand. She mirrored him, the two of them unleashing their power at the seed, that soon grew into a sapling. They stopped, knowing they had a few days before they would have to feed it again. San smiled, hugging her mate. He walked her back to her bed, and brought her to lie down with him.

"There is something else, San," he spoke softly in her ear.

"What is it?"

"Before I came here, I spoke with my mother. You will be having dinner with us in a couple of days," he felt bad for commanding her.

She smiled, "I'd like that. Anything else?"

"Just one."

"Hm?"

"Eien ni anata o ai shimasu."

...

Mushiyori City. It was dark, it was bleak, and it was infested. Upon arrival, they had all been separated. Yusuke, Genkai, Mitsunari and Kido went one way, leaving Botan, Kaito, Kuwabara, Kurama and San another. This would make it easier to cover more ground, and make it so that they could gather more information efficiently. The humans carried on with their lives as if nothing was happening. Ordinary humans couldn't see the danger, and that made panic less of a factor. San could not imagine what it would be like to have to deal with such things. She scouted ahead, having the advantage of speed with her. She brought them to a field, feeling strange energies here, and a couple of scents that she was unsure of at the moment.

"This is dumb, it's just a field," said Kuwabara. Yes, they were looking for the tunnel, utilizing their skills to "sniff" it out. "Are you sure this is the center of that distortion thing?"

"I don't see any big tunnel," said Botan.

"Unless it's invisible, or looks like grass, the psychic's not here either."

"No, the distortion zone always takes the form of a circle around its creator. Right now we're standing on the circle's center, the psychic has to be here," said Kurama. He was in command of this little party, and that look of determination that San loved occupied his face. "We just have to think, if the man's not here on the surface..."

"Then obviously, he must be below it," Kaito finished for him. Interesting how nice and friendly he was when Kurama was around. Idiot.

"Underground..." trailed Kuwabara. San widened her eyes for a moment, confirming with her mate that something were here. They both dashed off, her taking the lead. Whatever it was, it was gone.

"You see something?" asked Kuwabara, as the others ran to where the fox and the wolf had stopped.

"The question is, what saw us?" answered Kurama. That smell, San knew it well, both of them. Two demons were here, demons that she knew in her past life. She was very aware of Kurama's eyes on her, knowing that she was working something out in her mind. Wait, was that another scent? Three different scents?

"What?" asked Botan.

"You mean something was watching us? So they already know we're looking for them," said Kaito.

"You sure you're not being jumpy? I didn't notice anything," stated Kuwabara.

"Well what on Earth does that prove? You've lost your spirit awareness," said Botan in a voice filled with sarcasm. San continued to stare in front of her. Why were they here?

"You just love bringing that up don't you? I'm going to get it back!"

"In any case, we should play it safe, and reconvene with Yusuke's group immediately," said Kurama.

"No," San spoke up. They gave her questioning looks, but she was still silent. She looked around her, knowing that they were still here, the scents still fresh filling her nostrils. She looked around, and the third scent became easier to identify. Well, it would be if she knew what it was, it was completely new to her senses.

"San?"

"Something is still here. Actually, three somethings. Two I'm sure of, one I don't recognize."

"What is she talking about?" asked Kaito.

"Her sense of smell is far more enhanced than my own," explained Kurama. San took a few steps forward carefully. She continued to look, knowing that these two demons were here, were still watching her.

The group stayed put as she walked towards the tall grass. Just as she was about to enter, there came the attack. San dodged it, doing a cart wheel of sorts, kicking her attacker to the ground, hard. The next attack came from behind her, but she just jumped up and then forced herself down to strike that fighter as well. She saw the others take a stance, waiting to come to her aid if she needed it. She landed on her feet gracefully, taking a long look at her attackers. Who were they? She knew them from somewhere... There was a raven haired human looking woman. She wasn't human, she was clearly a demon. The other one was male, with very pale skin. They looked at San together. The woman looked as if realization dawned on her, and then got to her knees instantly, bowing to San.

"My Queen," she spoke.

"Moriko?" the male questioned after watching the other one's actions. San widened her eyes.

"Yayoi? Ryo?" she questioned, unable to believe that these two were here.

"Where have you been?" demanded Ryo. He walked up to her and put both of his hands on her shoulders. Kurama growled slightly, narrowing his eyes at this demon. There was something that he didn't like about him, something not right. Yayoi remained where she was, and San took Ryo's hands off of her, taking a step back.

"Yayoi, get up, you look ridiculous," she told the fellow wolf demon. Yayoi rose to her feet, blushing slightly.

"Forgive me, your highness," she bowed her head.

San rolled her eyes, "Cut that out, I haven't been reigning for centuries now. You were there the day I left, remember?"

Yayoi smiled, "Of course Moriko. Old habits die hard I suppose."

"I can't believe you're alive, I thought they executed you."

"No. Like you, I found the hole in the dungeon, and made my escape. They executed my daughter, not wanting to admit that another one of us had been able to escape their clutches. You know our reputation, Moriko, you know that we have to keep it to so that intruders fear us."

"I remember it well, Yayoi. When did you come here?"

"A few months ago. I've been hiding out in this city for the past month, when I felt the energy change. I plan on returning to the Makai, sort of."

San smiled, "How did you end up with this sack of crap?" she gestured to Ryo.

"I met him during my travels, and we escaped here, to the Ningenkai."

"That's an awful lot of marks on you," San noted.

"I've had many mates."

San gasped, looking at her in horror, "That's forbidden. Mate for life, that's how it has always been."

"I know. But after I left the clan, I no longer cared. My first mate condemned me, my second died. I refused to keel over just because I could not be supported by their power."

"They'd kill you if they found out."

Yayoi smiled, "I don't see how they could. My current mate will not allow that, and let's me move peacefully and at will."

"Enough. What about you? Where have you been?" Ryo spoke, "I've been looking for you for centuries."

San turned her attention to him temporarily, "I've been around..." she trailed, vaguely.

"Are you able to come with us Moriko? Come with me, I promise I'll take care of you."

San shook her head no, "I can't Ryo."

"You have no more obligations, so why can't you this time? What's your great excuse now?"

"I'm mated," she said, turning from the vampire and looking at her mate. He didn't look too happy, but he stood with the others, observing.

"To him? A human? You've degraded yourself that far?"

San turned to glare at him, "Shut up. He's not a human, he is in fact the fox demon Youko Kurama."

"The legendary bandit? You became a bandit? THAT was the path you chose over mine?"

San looked down for a moment. Ryo could be infuriating at times, but it was good to see him. She looked back at her green eyed fox, "The path I chose was laid out for me since the beginning of my days. Even if I could have changed it, I wouldn't. I'm happy where I am, and know that I am needed here. We have to save this world from perishing, help us."

"You're trying to save this pathetic world? Then that makes us enemies."

San turned to him, stunned, "What?"

"We're opening the barrier, and turning this world into the new Makai."

"Why? What have the humans ever done to you?"

"Have you forgotten how they hunted our kind, Moriko? The reason your brother is dead? It was humans, they ruined your whole life," said Yayoi. Ryo walked over and stood beside her.

"A part of it yes, but without them I wouldn't be here!"

"Yes, look how well you've done. Cooperating with them, mating with them. You're a traitor to your own kind, and the fact that you can feel good about it makes it a lot worse. Come, Yayoi, we should return."

"Don't be foolish Moriko. Join us, we're sure to win," said Yayoi.

San was absolutely stunned, "No. I must save this world, there is still much for my fate here."

"Then the next time we meet, you will not live to speak of it," snarled Ryo. San took a step back, not believing what she was hearing. She felt her mate's arm come around her.

"Threats will do you no good here, vampire. You so much as blow air on her, then rest assured, I will show you the meaning of death in it's fullest and most agonizing form," Kurama spoke coldly to them. Ryo scoffed at him and began to walk away.

"Ryo..." San trailed. His retreating back told her that they were finished. "Yayoi..." she turned her eyes to the fellow wolf, standing in front of her. The raven haired woman smiled slightly, and then walked away with her companion.

San watched them until they disappeared completely. She was silent, that small turn of events taking her fully by surprise. Kurama looked at her, noting the features on her face. The demon part of her had shone during the conversation with those two, and Moriko was normally calm about everything. The human part, San, was a woman, and emotions were out of control. All he knew from that meeting was that these were enemies, and he feared that San's relationship with them would cause her to make bad decisions regarding them. He had to keep them away from her, to make sure she would be safe. He walked her back to where the others were waiting.

"Uh, Botan, what the hell just happened?" Kuwabara asked the reaper.

"I'm not exactly sure, Kuwabara," she answered.

"Just who were those guys?" asked Kaito. San looked up, her face masking the previous emotions.

"Yayoi and Ryo, old friends from my past life. Yayoi was probably my only friend within my clan, and I appointed her my adviser during my rule. Like me, she is a wolf demon, bound by the same rules that she clearly chose to ignore. Ryo is a vampire, one I met during my hunts before I became Queen. His infatuation with me caused him to stick around. Despite that, he was friend, back then anyway. From the looks of things, they're working with someone to open the void, and destroy this world. They cannot be trusted," San explained, "Now if we're done here, let's go find Yusuke and the others."

...

thanks everyone :)


	33. The Sickness

"I agree, but before we leave, Botan," said Kurama. He looked at the blue haired pilot, as she waited for what his request was, "I must speak with Koenma."

"Right," Botan nodded, opening her brief case and patching into Junior.

"Koenma."

"Yes, Kurama. Report," San heard Koenma's voice.

"The center point was there, but I think it may be possible that they've camped underground."

"Hm. Very clever..."

"That's not all. It appears we're being followed."

"What?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm rejoining the teams just to be safe."

"Understood," and then the screen went fuzzy. Botan closed the case while Kurama turned to his mate.

"Still there?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I have a feeling he'll be on our tail for some time. I can easily outrun him though."

"Do so. Keep the link between us open however, and let us know where the others are."

"No. I'll scout ahead, but I won't be using my telepathy. Our enemies are also psychics, they'll hear everything I say."

"Right," he kissed her lightly, "Go," he whispered, and she took off at demon speed ahead of them.

...

The bugs, they were disgusting. San had run to where they had first parted ways, catching the scent of the others. She followed it to a bar, picking up another scent she didn't recognize. As she came closer to the main square, she smelled the same aroma that was watching them earlier. So many humans, one that stood out to her nose, plus the one she recognized. The trail went cold after that, but she smelled gasoline. Ambulance, it was the only vehicle that would be able to come here. They must have went to the hospital. San went to find Kurama and the others, to update them. It didn't take long to find them, she had an idea of where they were. A new scent came to her, it was tailing her mate and the others, at least, it was. It left, not too long ago. Something happened just then, she dropped to her knees, hearing a most disturbing voice. She didn't know what it was, but it made her stop dead in her tracks. She could see the red hair of her mate in the distance. But that voice, who was it? And why did it frighten her slightly?

-_You San, you will see all that I have seen- _it spoke to her

_-Who are you?-_

_-I am the future. Just wait, you will see everything soon-_

_-Tell me who you are!-_ but the voice was gone. What the fuck? All she could feel was hatred, and this terrible instinct to kill. What was going on here? She shook her head, placing this in the back of her mind and making her way towards her mate.

"I'm sure it's gotten worse since we came. I need one of those zapper porch lights," said Botan.

"What are you talking about? What's worse?" asked Kuwabara.

"The insects of Makai. You can't see them," answered Kurama.

"We just have to say my powers are gone, every hour!"

"Botan's right, they've doubled from yesterday," said Kaito.

"It's the tunnel. It's expanding at an extraordinarily fast rate," said Kurama.

"I'm probably teasing you because I'm jealous, Kuwabara. Being blind sounds perfect right now," said Botan. They had finally caught up to San.

"Hey, buddy, is that bad guy still on our trail?" asked Kuwabara quietly.

"No. Whoever it was, he left us a few blocks back," Kurama answered.

"Why would they suddenly stop?" asked Botan.

"Yeah, especially after going through the effort of switching around," stated San.

"What?"

"The scent that saw us around the site does not match the one that was following you not too long ago."

"Perhaps they have chosen to focus all of their power on Yusuke's group?" suggested Kurama.

"Strategically, you would never close on option unless you've made a decisive strike. If they've left us, Yusuke's probably is under attack," said Kaito.

"Relax," said Botan, "Genkai's with them, they won't get into trouble."

San heard the ambulance, and it drove by them, "I wouldn't be too sure..."

"That was bad timing..."

"Hey, we better stop wasting minutes, let's find Urameshi!" said Kuwabara. Kurama looked at his mate.

"San?" he questioned her. She was staring at the direction the ambulance went.

"The hospital," she stated, taking off ahead of them. The voice she heard earlier was still bothering her, but it wasn't important right now. She made it to the hospital and noted the strange powers coming from it. It was way too quiet, and she knew that it wasn't a good thing. What the hell? She decided to infiltrate, the others would catch up. Once she walked in there were green people everywhere. Something had happened, and she felt the territory of a psychic she didn't recognize. She saw it then, insects and Puu? She ran, seeing Puu and Shizuru, as well as Keiko. It didn't take much effort to catch up with them, killing bugs along the way.

"San!" cried Keiko.

"What on earth are you two doing here?" San demanded of them.

"We followed Puu here. We're looking for Yusuke."

"Shizuru, can't you see the Makai insects? Are you really that dumb that you would follow the animal here?"

"Cool it hot shot, I'm just looking for my bro," the blond answered.

"You can see the bugs, right?"

"Yeah. These ones are different somehow."

"Indeed, leaving us no time to talk, let's move!" San commanded, leading the girls and Puu away from their pursuers. Suddenly San felt faint, terrible and very cold. She was falling, and then, her world went black. She heard her name in the distance, and then she heard nothing at all, feeling only ultimate pain.

...

"Urameshi's spirit gun!" exclaimed Kuwabara. Botan nodded, seeing a shot fire out from the hospital.

"Well Kaito, it appears you were right. Yusuke's team is definitely in a fight," said Kurama. San was probably already in there, considering she hadn't come back to them yet, "What do you say we check ourselves into the hospital?" They walked up to it, standing outside the perimeter. Kurama wished that San could keep the link open with his mind, so that he could see where she was.

"Alright, let's go," said Kuwabara, about to take a step forward.

"Wait," Kurama stopped him.

"What? I'm ready!"

"Just listen. It's too quiet."

"Well, I'll give you that," said Botan.

"Quiet? Quiet is perfect, it's a hospital, not a race track," said Kuwabara.

"It's the cause without the effect," said Kaito.

"What do you mean?"

"We saw Yusuke's spirit gun blast through a window in the middle of the day, yet there are no doctors, nurses or guards taking a look at it?"

"So what?"

"So, curiosity is one man's most protective forces. If people don't come to see, it's because they are not able," said Kurama. "We assume the worst for everyone in that hospital. They are either detained, hurt, or dead. That is why we're not being followed."

"Well that does make sense. They wouldn't walk into their own trap," said Botan.

"It's too dangerous for us all, especially with Kuwabara's condition."

"Geeze, condition makes me sound like I'm rabid," said Kuwabara.

"You three stay back and watch for developments. I'll go take a look around. Besides..." Kurama left it at that and took off at his demon speed. Besides, he had to see where his mate went. He realized that the front and back entrance wouldn't be safe, so he used his rose whip to get to the roof. Once he landed , he felt that he was in a psychic's territory. Now he was really worried about San and the others. He cautiously walked towards the door, making sure the coast was clear before opening it and stepping inside. He couldn't smell San, but saw the bugs trying to attack him. He saw staff and patients scattered all over the floor, green coloured skin. The insects, they must be the cause of all this. He was hoping that none of them had gotten to his mate. Where was she? More bugs, they never ceased. A corridor led to even more, and then he smelled her. He saw in the distance, something blue and bodies fall out of the elevator. The insects were closing in, and he swiftly destroyed them before they could attack. There before him were two people he definitely wasn't expecting to see.

"Kurama?" questioned Shizuru.

"What on earth are you two doing here?" he asked, stunned.

"Deja vu much, San asked us the exact same thing."

"San!" Kurama saw her lying on the other side of Shizuru. The human was trying to save his mate as well as Keiko from the insects. He ran over to his mate, kneeling down beside her. She was out, burning but her skin wasn't green like Keiko or the other victims. She was bit by something else, something that wasn't apart of this territory. He sniffed at her, locating the source of her sickness. It was a small plant, embedded into her hair. He didn't recognize it, so he didn't know how to treat it. That wasn't the problem right now though, he needed to get the girls out of here. He turned to Shizuru, "Are you able to carry her?" he inclined his head towards Keiko.

"Uh, sure," the blond answered. Kurama stood, picking up his mate and then nodded at Shizuru. more insects were coming, they had to find the source of all this. Their best bet would be to find Yusuke or Genkai, wherever they were. He would need the old woman's help to figure out what was wrong with his mate.

"Have you seen Yusuke or Genkai?" Kurama decided to ask the elder Kuwabara.

"Genkai had left us two floors up," she answered.

"Then that's where we'll run to. We'll have to find a stairwell to get there. Was San with you when Genkai found you?"

"Yeah, she said that she wasn't sure what was wrong with her. Said that it wasn't the same thing that was affecting everyone else in the hospital."

"Hm..." Kurama and Shizuru continued to run, taking with them Keiko and San. Keiko was slightly conscious, while San was completely limp. She was shaking, as if she were cold, but her temperature was dangerously high. She broke into a cold sweat, but her mate didn't notice as he was protecting all the girls from the bugs that infested the hospital. They reached the floor two floors up, and ran. Kurama felt some strange power, and it was coming from below them. That meant that they were in the wrong place. He wasn't sure if he should run there, but if Yusuke was in trouble, Shizuru could fend off the bugs while Kurama assisted. "We have to go back downstairs," he told the girl. She looked confused at first, but nodded at him. He led them down another stairwell and then he stopped running. The territory had disappeared just then, the bugs ceasing. He checked on his mate, but she was still out and burning. Keiko had already started to feel better, indicating that the owner of the territory had perished. Kurama walked with the three girls while Puu flew on ahead, assuming towards Yusuke.

"Hey! Urameshi!" Kurama could hear Kuwabara shout from the other end of the hallway.

"Should I even ask why Yana's in a nurse's outfit?" asked Botan.

"Ah, well, you know. Playing doctor and then one thing led to another..." trailed Yusuke.

"Botan, he could use your healing powers," suggested Genkai. Kurama could see blue hair moving towards Yana. Puu announced himself, flying towards Yusuke.

"Well, this certainly is a reunion," said Kurama once Yusuke and the others had turned.

"Oh hey sis, why are you here? You sick?" asked Kuwabara. Truth be told, she was more useful than her brother at this point. He was sure San would say something like that if she were conscious.

"Yeah bro. Sick of tracking you down. What trouble are you in?" replied Shizuru.

"Uh, that's a pretty long story actually, you know? Tunnels and stuff..."

"Keiko?" questioned Yusuke. The girl had stepped out from behind Shizuru. "Damnit Puu, you're like their get the danger tour guide!"

"Don't you blame this on him Yusuke. We only came because we were worried about you," said Keiko, stepping up to grab Puu from the air. Sirens could be heard in the distance. Genkai began to walk towards the doors.

"We'd better move it. This is one crime scene we don't want to be apart of," said the old woman. Kaito offered to stay back in order to make sure the other psychic received proper treatment. The other ran out of the hospital, making it out in time.

...

Kurama returned to the temple with Genkai, still holding onto the unconscious San. He brought her to her room, under the watchful eye of Genkai. He put the covers over her, trying to burn out her fever. He put a hand to her forehead, trying to guess what temperature she was at. He looked to Genkai, not knowing what he could do for his mate. He pulled out the small plant from his pocket, keeping his energy around it so that it wouldn't affect him either. He brought it over to Genkai, and placed it in her hand.

"This is what caused her illness," he spoke.

"I take it you don't know what it is," she stated, observing the strange plant.

"No, I've never seen it before in my life. I found it in her hair, but with the way she fell ill, I assume it may have been the doctor's bugs that enhanced whatever it is that's attacking her."

"Agreed. Try to get rid of her fever, and hopefully she'll wake up," said Genkai. She turned to leave, but then San had screamed out in pain. Kurama was there instantly, taking her hand and resting his other one on her forehead. She went frigid for a moment, and then began to speak.

"Kurama... stop... you don't want... to do this..." she was weak, head tossing with every word she spoke. He took his hand off of her forehead, looking to Genkai for answers. The old woman was looking curiously, and then she too placed a hand on San's forehead. "Genkai... you must... watch... Kuwabara..." Once Genkai had removed her hand, San was quiet again, but still tossing. She groaned in pain from time to time. Kurama looked at Genkai again.

"What does this mean?" he asked.

"Her visions must be coming out in more definition being unconscious. Without the distraction of being aware, it makes seeing the other side more vivid and a lot easier. Obviously she sees through our energy, and the visions come to her. While she's unconscious it might be a good idea to get all the information that we can. I suggest for now you get some sleep, and do what you can to take away her fever, or at least get her to cool down," the old woman instructed before leaving the room and going to bed. Kurama left his mate and took a small stroll in her garden. He did what he could for the plants that would accept his energy, and left the others. He stopped at the Dragonite plant, knowing that he needed her combined energy to be able to help it. It would be fine for a couple of days, but after that, he would start to be worn out, the plant zapping his energy. He sighed, and went back to his mate. He crawled into bed with her, holding her close so that his body heat would help be rid of the fever.

"Kurama... Koenma knows... confront him..." she spoke once he had touched her. Kurama kissed her forehead, having that same suspicion anyway. However, the seed he found on her person might be something the ruler of Rekai would know. He could kill two birds with one stone this way. Hopefully Koenma would know what it is, or how to cure it. There would only be one way to find out.

...

_"Yayoi, what's the status on our assault?" She asks her raven haired advisor._

_"So far, so good. These demons are smart, but they cannot see very well in the dark," Yayoi reports._

_"I thought not. When the light approaches, we'll pull back and hold our position. Nightfall, we'll continue the assault, and hopefully they'll retreat. I do not want any more bloodshed."_

_"They were warned, your highness. Every youki knows that a wolf will bite if you start to nest in their dens and hunt in their territory."_

_"I know. I just wish they were smart enough to realize they would all die."_

_"We are all not filled with the same knowledge as you, your highness."_

_"A small advantage to being a general before a ruler."_

_"I'd say it was more than a small one."_

_"Perhaps. I must go now, Yayoi. Tell them to pull back and hold their position when the light begins to shine."_

_"Of course, my queen."_

_She nods at her advisor, and then begins to walk away. She has a meeting with yet another advisor, one that can get more detail from the opposing side. The vampire is standing just outside the walls of the den. This meeting is secret, as are all of them. It was requested by both that they always meet in secret. There are many eyes around, but they are both easily able to shy away from them without detection. They stroll in the darkness, waiting until the spies cannot hear them before speaking. Finally, it is time._

_"Ryo, thank you for aiding me in this war," she tell him, truly grateful._

_"It is not a problem, my Queen," he speaks, his red eyes gleaming._

_"What's the status on the enemy?"_

_"There is talk of retreat, keep up your assault, and they will hopefully be gone by tomorrow morning."_

_"As I figured. When was the last time you fed? You look awful."_

_"A week or so ago."_

_She moves her hair, "Alright. It's the least I can do for your help."_

_..._

Kurama was jolted out of his sleep. San was screaming, pleading for whatever she was seeing to stop. It was still dark out, indicating it was early in the morning. She was tossing still, and he restrained her slightly with one arm, the other feeling her forehead. Her fever was almost gone, that was a good sign. She was still in her delirium, trying to rid whatever she was seeing. She wasn't seeing a vision when he touched her, something was greatly disturbing her. Her cries wanted it to stop, and he had no idea how to help her. This feeling of being useless did not sit well with him. If only there was a way that he could help, but it would have to wait until he saw Koenma. He had to have the answers. He rose from her bed, the first rays of light peaking from the horizon. San would be fine under Genkai's watch. He looked down at his sleeping mate. Her face was contorted in a disturbing manner. Whatever she was seeing, it made her scared and disgusted, as she tossed her head from side to side. Kurama placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead before departing. He would stop at home first and speak with his mother, then he would make his way to Rekai.

...

"Shuuichi, there you are, I was worried when you didn't come home last night," said Shiori when Kurama walked in the door.

"I'm sorry mother. San fell ill, so I stayed with her last night," replied Kurama.

"Oh dear, I hope she's alright."

"I am certain she'll be fine. She's tough."

"I suppose dinner can wait until she gets better."

"Yes. I will not be around today however. I came to let you know what I was doing, and I plan on spending the day with her, if that's alright with you."

"It's fine Shuuichi."

"Thank you," he said, walking to his room. He was going to be away probably all night again, depending on her condition. He packed up some clothes and then kissed his mother on the cheek before leaving to the Rekai. Koenma had answers, and Kurama was going to get to the bottom of this. If Koenma was with holding information that they needed, then the situation was much more serious than first anticipated. He may have doomed them all.

...

"Please, not records. Koemna will discipline me if he finds out. The other day he disciplined me so badly, my hip popped out my socket and I couldn't fit into my loin cloth, and looks are important to us ogres, especially when courting the ladies and..." Kurama tried to drown out the rambling of the blue ogre, Jorge. He was taking Kurama to see Koenma, the fox demon feeling slightly guilty for having to bully the ogre to do it in the first place. Extraordinary sides came out of Kurama when his mate was in danger. They reached the isle that Koenma was occupying, the blue ogre still ranting about how bad his life was. They stood for a moment, waiting for the Rekai ruler to acknowledge them, at least, that's what Kurama was waiting for.

"Would you can it Jorge?" Koenma shouted, looking towards the source of the noise. He was surprised to see Kurama standing there, "Kurama? Why are you here?"

"I've come to pose a question," the red head replied.

"Oh brother," said Koenma, turning back to his book.

"I believe you know true identity of the mastermind of this tunnel. Am I right?"

"Don't be ridiculous. If I knew who he was, don't you think I would have told you so that you could stop him?"

"Perhaps not, if you feared he would defeat us." Koenma was stunned yet again, turning to look at the fox, "Your behaviour has been an erratic blend of urgency and silence. I think you're scrambling because you don't know how we can win. That means you know things that we do not, like his identity and his past."

Koenma dropped his book in complete outrage, "How dare you accuse me with some prowess hunch?"

"But I'm right, am I not?"

Koenma looked nervous now. Kurama had him, that was written all over the young ruler's face. Kurama's eyes were hard, as he waited for Koenma to elaborate. He didn't have that much luck, however, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kurama looked ready to kill, "Enough. You've put not only my life in danger, but San's and the other as well. Sending us in, while neglecting to tell us anything. Now, San has fallen ill by something completely unrecognizable, and I place the blame entirely on you. I don't know what's wrong with her and if she dies, you'll have me to answer to."

Koenma tried to match the look that Kurama was giving him. But he just wasn't a fighter, and he knew from this fox's past that he would indeed kill everything in his path until he avenged the death of his mate. Koenma sighed, giving up, "Very well. Tomorrow I will be going to Earth, and I will release the information I have to you and the others at the same time."

"Fine. Now, what do I do about San's condition?"

Koenma reached into his pocket and then threw something at Kurama. The demon caught it, observing it curiously. He looked back up at Koenma, "That's a Gawnbula seed. Grow it, and then turn it to liquid and feed it to her. You should see improvements by the morning. This rare plant can cure anything, except death of course. It's important that you only give her half, or else too much will kill her."

Kurama nodded, "Thank you," and then he took his leave of this place. The faster he got this to his mate, the faster she would heal. He raced back to Genkai's temple, wondering how her condition had gotten with the time he spend away. It was nighttime, and when he walked into San's room, she wasn't there. Genkai wasn't there either, so Kurama assumed that she had taken his mate to wherever she happened to be. He would follow the scent, there's only so few places they could go. Before he left, however, he used his energy to grow the plant, just enough to produce another seed and planted it in her garden. He left then, taking the seed with him. There would be no point in preparing it until he found out where his mate went. His instincts told him to try Yusuke's first, the lack of parental activity making it the best option for a headquarters in town. It didn't take him long to get there, and he realized that it was a good choice. He could smell San and Genkai inside. He knocked on the door, and the greeting he received was not very happy.

"Oh, look who it is," grumbled Yusuke, moving aside to let the red head in. Kurama walked into a room full of familiar faces and three unconscious bodies. One was Kuwabara, the other was his mate, and the last he didn't recognize. It appeared that being absent for a day produced many results. He was sure to be in for a earful about the recent events.


	34. Chapter Black

Before Kurama could get any answers as to what had happened, he wanted to first prepare the remedy for San. He walked into the kitchen, ignoring the questioning looks from the others. He used his energy to grow the seed in his hands, and then he turned it into a liquid, letting the contents fall into a glass. He made sure that he didn't put too much, knowing that it would be fatal if he did. He brought the finished product back to where his mate was. He was very aware of all the eyes upon him, but he chose to ignore them. He lifted her head slightly, and she began to toss, another vision coming to her at his touch. He held her head still, and fed the liquid down her throat. Koenma said it would take effect by morning, and Kurama would keep watch over her until he saw it start to work. He finally looked over at the others, who were still staring at him. He set the glass down, waiting.

"What the hell was that?" asked Yusuke. There is was.

"Gawnbula," answered Kurama, turning his attention back to San.

"Gawnbula? What does it do?"

"It's a rare plant from the Rekai. It will cure any ailment it encounters, but too much of it can be deadly," Genkai answered. "Had you been around, I would have told you that we were coming here. Since you were gone when I woke up, I moved her here, so that I could monitor her condition."

"I understand. Has it improved at all?" asked Kurama.

"No, other than the fever. When she first got here, I had everyone touch her, just to see if we could get anymore clues. We figured out Yusuke's about Kuwabara, since that event took place tonight. The rest will remain a mystery until it is able to play out. Maybe if she wakes up she'll be able to make some sense of it all."

"Perhaps. What did happen to Kuwabara? And who is that?"

"Kuwabara's powers have finally awakened. Tonight he demonstrated them when he saved one of our enemies, known as Seaman. They nearly killed each other, but the oaf was able to bring back three humans plus this one. Once he wakes up, we'll begin drilling him for some answers."

"I see. I expect-" but Kurama was cut off by a loud scream coming from San. She began to thrash about, crying out in pain. Kurama placed her head on his lap as he began to pour some of his energy into her. He found it strange that he could not feel this pain, that he was unable to monitor it with their connection. She calmed down not too long afterwards, and that was when they all decided to retire to bed. Kurama leaned against the wall, his mate's head still in his lap. He drifted in and out of sleep, keeping a watchful eye on her.

...

The light, it burned the eyes. Damn, why can't it just go away. She just wanted to sleep, she was tired, and her back was sore. She turned, the pillow she was using very uncomfortable at the moment. And why was there a gap in it? At least it didn't smell bad, just like roses. Roses reminded her of her mate, and that made her feel very relaxed. She rolled over, snuggling deeper into her pillow. Her eyes opened when she felt a hand on her head, a finger or thumb stroking her hair. She then realized she was not lying on a pillow, but a pair of legs. Well that was weird. She raised her head, and saw the smiling face of her mate greeting her. She smiled back at him slightly, lying her head down again. They kept their gaze on each other, his hand stroking her cheek.

"It's good to see you're awake," he spoke softly. San could see that he was tired, but she wasn't sure exactly why.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to remember.

"You fell ill two days ago, after we had gone looking for the tunnel site. You had a bad fever, but I was able to bring it down."

"What about the others in the hospital?"

"They did not catch the same thing as you. This..." Kurama pulled out the seed, still being contained by his energy, "...was what had caused all of your symptoms."

San gasped, backing away from it, "Keep it away! Burn it!"

Kurama looked confused, "What is it?"

"Polistros. They are found in Makai, and extremely lethal to wolves. Please Kurama, burn it."

He set it in the glass that he had used for her Gawnbula remedy, "I found it in your hair. Do you have any idea how it could have gotten there?"

"The only explanation is Ryo. Yayoi can't touch it, and she'd be the only one who knew what it would be. Where did you find the wolfsbane to counter it?"

"Wolfsbane? I used Gawnbula. I didn't know what it was, so I didn't know how to treat it. While you were unconscious, you're seer powers were intensified, and you would give us piece by piece visions of anyone who touched you. You told me to confront Koenma, and I asked him how I was able to help you. He gave me a seed and some instructions. Before I gave it to you, I set aside a seed and planted it in your garden."

"I've heard about it before. Thanks for taking care of me."

"I always will, koi," he told her, moving to where she was and kissing her. They sat against opposite walls, San looking out into the sky. "You were in a lot of distress while you were out. What did you see?"

She shook her head, "I'm not sure. I can't remember it right now. It's all blank to me."

"Perhaps it will come back to you."

"I hope so. What happened while I was out?" she asked. Briefly, Kurama summed up all that he knew of what was now yesterday. Even though she was staring out the window, he knew that she was listening intently. When he was finished his tale, he continued to stare at her. The tawny eyes were fixated on the skies, and were distant. She was thinking, planning, trying to figure all of this out. It was either the encounter with the vampire and the wolf, or what she had seen while she was unconscious. He couldn't help but wonder, especially with the way she cried out. It was times like these that he wished he had a gift of telepathy. It would be hard to get answers out of her so soon, but his patience was greater than hers. His silent musing was interrupted by Yusuke walking into the room.

"Oh look, sleeping beauty finally wakes up," he spoke. San blinked, trying not to show the confusion on her face. It had been a while since she had seen this, the faint image of Raizen occupying the same space as Yusuke. He sat on the floor with them, leaning against the bed, "How ya feelin'?"

"At first I was fine, I'm starting to get a head ache now though," she replied, prying her eyes away from the detective. She resumed her staring to the window.

"I assume fox boy here filled you in?"

"As much as he could. Kuwabara's finally at full power."

"Yeah, I kind of wish you or grandma had told me what was going on with him."

San blinked, looking at him, "I thought you would've caught on?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know about shit like this?"

"You mean, you couldn't feel it?"

"No."

"I must admit that I was unable to foresee this myself," added Kurama.

"You can barely sniff out a corpse anymore," San told him. He looked away slightly guilty. Yusuke just laughed.

"So San, what did you dream about? Genkai said something about you being a seer and it all being intensified?"

San shook her head, "I can't recall anything right now. I'm sure when it all comes back to me I'll have an idea."

"I hope it's soon. You may have a lot of valuable information locked away," said Kurama.

"Oh Kurama, don't be silly. Everything I have to say is valuable," she told him cheerily. Yusuke rolled his eyes while her mate smiled at her.

...

By the late morning, Yusuke, Shizuru, Keiko, Botan, Kurama, San and Genkai were present to "Seaman" finally waking up. Kuwabara was sleeping on the floor, still hurt from Seaman's assault. He shot up with a start, grunting in pain and then looking around the room. All eyes were either hard or curious as they waited for the next turn of events. The interrogation.

"Welcome back," said Yusuke, who was sitting on a chair in front of the bed. Kurama was beside him, standing and menacing. San had a smug look, trying not to think about the pain in her head from standing. She was still weak, but felt that she had two days of rest, and couldn't slack off anymore. Seaman looked at the detective, his face unable to comprehend what was going on.

"You're Yusuke..." he said.

"That's right goldie. And that's my bed you're sleeping in thanks to the human freight train over there dragging you in so we could stitch you back up," Yusuke pointed to the slumbering Kuwabara.

"Bro finally did something helpful without his girl being around," stated Shizuru. You could see the pride in her eyes as she stared at her little brother.

"His companions, your victims, have survived as well. They informed us all of their encounter with you, then we erased their memories of last night so they wouldn't be burdened by the darker truths," said Kurama.

"Like another human fighting for the wrong side," said Yusuke. There was a moment of silence, "Kuwabara saved your life after you tried to kill him. You think you psychic pals would have done that? You owe him big, so start talking."

"Yeah, clean my socks..." Kuwabara muttered in his sleep.

"What?" asked Keiko.

"Sleep talking. Sleep walking without the bruises," clarified Shizuru. The room was once again silent. Seaman looked conflicted, and San wondered what he was thinking about.

"You don't understand," he began, "You haven't seen what I have. We should all die..."

"Clarify all. You mean your fellow psychics?" asked Kurama.

"No, I mean all of us. Humans. You'd all think so to if you saw the video tape!"

"What? Video?" asked Botan.

"Yeah, and say it with more feeling," said Yusuke. San would've normally laughed or chuckled at that, but the word video tape sent a chill through her spine. It was like it triggered a memory, a dark one that she was sure she didn't want to remember. Something black, she couldn't quite recall...

"It's the video they labelled Chapter Black," said Seaman. Those words rang in San's head. She froze, everything around her going black. But she wasn't fainting, no, she was remembering. Images came flooding to her mind, images of humans tormenting demons, summoning them from Makai and waiting until they were there to be able slave drive them. It all made sense now, why she couldn't remember and why these humans wanted to wipe out all of mankind. Her mind was trying to block out these horrible images, trying to save her the agony. She tried to keep herself composed, so as not to alarm the others. She blinked hard, and forced herself to pay attention to the more pressing matters at hand.

"You've seen it?" asked Kurama in alarm. All youki knew of it, she wasn't surprised that he would react that way.

"Yes I have, every single minute of it."

"Chapter Black... Amazing..." San looked to her mate curiously. She had never seen this look on his face before. He was disbelieving and yet, curious as well. Spooked was slightly evident as well, and that made her nervous. She wondered how he felt about such a thing.

"I'm guessing you've heard of it," stated Yusuke, turning to her mate.

"It's legendary... Hiei's wanted to get his hands on that tape for years..."

"That good of a flick huh?" San looked at Yusuke now in alarm. If only he knew the horror on that tape.

"It is a piece of intelligence, supposedly kept in the deepest bowls of Rekai records department. Over its milennia of existence, the human race has committed very heinous crimes against others and their own. This video tape is a compilation. It documents the most unspeakable acts of all... It is said to run thousands of hours. I knew well of the tape's existence, but never imagined it could be a motivator in this case."

"So many horrifying things marching across that giant screen... You don't know how we really are... What we're capable of... I saw it all... If you saw it, you'd think differently. You'd understand we're doomed... And so, you'd have to..."

Yusuke stood and kicked his chair away, "Have to what, sir judge? Have to get us all eaten up by some blood thirsty monster?"

"That's right! You're defensive because you don't know the truth. Humanity only seems good to you because you were born in a peaceful time. But war's our nature and it'll always come back. Have you ever seen hundreds of people standing in line to be killed in a camp? Have you seen horsemen raid and destroy a village? Dance on the bodies of their victims? Crushing them as they all celebrated victims as they sang happy songs? Have you ever seen a gigantic bomb wipe away millions who have never even picked up a weapon? Civil war where a mom is hacked down in front of her child or a child in front of his mom. And the soldier breaking up a family who loves each other, leading them into a fire and his eyes enjoying the torture."

"SHUT UP!" San screamed at him. Every word brought back every memory, and it was torture in her mind. Her eyes were full of tears as she held her head and dropped to her knees. She was trembling, and very aware of every set of eyes on her, but she didn't care. Though this boy knew the horror that she was reliving, it didn't make it okay to talk about. These people must be stopped, this was pure bullshit to have them sit there and watch this. She felt someone touch her shoulder, and she knew it was her mate. Her nostrils were filled with his scent, as he pulled her into his arms. She looked at Seaman, eyes full of hate, "It's bad enough to have to see it once, why must you make me relive it?" she spat at him, Kurama tightening his hold on her.

"And you think you're better than those people on the tape?" asked Yusuke, outraged.

"Well I know I'm not, neither are you. No human can be!" said Seaman.

"What about Kuwabara? He saved you, right? And you know, last night when he came to for a minutes, I asked him, 'Stupid, why the hell did you save that jerk?' and he said, 'Because Urameshi, in his eyes, he was crying for help'. I thought it was a pretty stupid thing to say at the time, but now I see how scared you are and I kind of follow. A big oaf like Kuwabara, he's got that bully look you must hate. But he cared about you. Bet you weren't expecting that."

San watched as Seaman doubled over, crying, "Every night I see them, the victims on that tape. I've always seen myself like them. But then in my nightmares, I'm the one holding the weapons, you know? Like all along it's been me who was doing those terrible things, and I feel dirtier and dirtier, like I need to make up for something. But I don't even know what, like I'm the bully. I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." San stood, knowing his pain.

"There are many things in this world that lead many of us to hate," San began, "While I have the appearance of a human, I am in fact a demon from Makai. For some reason, your master thought to see it fit that I experience the video of Chapter Black as well, during my sickness. But every creature on every world is capable of these things. Just because it's there, doesn't mean it will always shine out. Most people and demons don't have the power to begin massacres and slavery, and if they do, its their choice. I myself was a ruler at one point, and I had the option to be tyrant, or a good leader to my clan. People are twisted in many ways, and the power to summon a demon and over power fellow humans makes them evil. But they should not define every individual. If someone decides to start the events of Chapter Black again, there are always ones like us who will stand up and fight for our freedom, just as we're doing now. We all have a choice, remember that." She looked down at her feet as she concluded. Chapter Black was a horror, but she knew that not all humans could be punished for it. Seaman was unresponsive, but she knew that he had heard every one of her words.

"Kurama put a hand on her shoulder, "Perhaps we should leave him now," he spoke softly to her and Yusuke.

Yusuke nodded, "Yeah."

"Clearly, he must face his own demons before he faces us," said Kurama, pulling her slightly. She followed the other boys out onto the balcony. They were all silent for just a moment, and then Yusuke spoke.

"I see stuff every night on the 6:00 news that pisses me off about people. And that video's got our all time worsts. That's got to be a pretty rough experience."

"Yes, I would imagine so. It's said it will turn an average man against his own kind in five minutes of viewing," said Kurama.

"It's not a lie. It should be destroyed, I don't know why Rekai would keep such a thing, just to let it fall into the hands of our enemies," San spoke.

Kurama turned to her, "So you remember? That's what you were seeing during your slumber?"

San nodded, "My brain tried to block it out, but when he spoke, the words brought it all back, and I saw it all over again. It's awful. After this mission, I'm going to get Genkai to help me get rid of it. For now, it can be used as fuel to motivate me all the more to stop this disaster from happening."

"Hell thats cheery, you might just turn me by talking about it," said Yusuke.

"Don't worry Yusuke. The capacity for evil is but one ingredient in the human soul," said Kurama.

"I hope so..."

"Still. The greatest concern is that the Chapter Black video is in the enemies possession. It clearly has the ability to turn almost anyone to their side. The footage must be provocative, I confess there was even a time when I wanted to see it," said Kurama. San turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. Yusuke looked at him with evil eyes, and Kurama laughed nervously, "Was, was," he said, holding up his hands. "Anyway, to a more pressing matter, you never asked me where I went yesterday."

"Oh yeah..."

"Truth be known, I went to speak with Koenma."

"You went all the way to spirit world? Why didn't you just use my brief case thing?"

"I needed to confront him face to face. He could never put my suspicions to rest. And speaking with Seaman has now made me certain. Koenma knows the exact identity of our foe."

"HE WHAT?" exclaimed Yusuke, running back into the apartment.

"I've planned a formal meeting to-"

"Uh, _dear,_" San interrupted, seeing as he was still talking. He looked at her, "You might want to take a look around before you begin speaking to yourself." Kurama looked and saw that Yusuke had vacated his post.

"EARTH TO TODDLER BITCH! YOU BETTER SPEAK NOW BEFORE I PUT THAT PACIFIER 10 INCHES DOWN YOUR THROAT!" Yusuke yelled into his brief case at Koenma. Kurama sighed, following San back into the apartment. They were joined by Botan and Genkai.

"Why Yusuke, glad to see you've regained some enthusiasm. It's good in small doses" said Koenma.

"Kurama says you knew who was behind this from the very start! Why the hell haven't you told me?"

"I wasn't positive until the video tape. Only one man has a copy of that, but I just didn't want to believe it."

"Cut to the meat pal!"

Koenma was silent for just a moment, "As you wish, Yusuke. The name of the mastermind... Shinobu Sensui. He was the Rekai Tantei before you." That certainly took all of them by surprise. San was not expecting that one, "This is a photo of Shinobu Sensui in high school when he began working for me as spirit detective," said Koenma, gesturing to the image that appeared behind him. San remembered seeing an older version of that face in her dreams. Well, they weren't dreams, but the face was either put there by a powerful psychic, or she picked up on it while Genkai was trying to get information out of her while she was unconscious.

"That face, the one who confronted us in the fairway... But he looks a lot older now."

"He was gifted with and incredibly strong sense of right and wrong, perhaps too strong. It was about 10 years ago when he simply disappeared, and the weeks leading up to that I remember he always asked me the same question. 'Are we even worth protecting?' Then the Chapter Black video vanished from the vault, and so did he. We tried to track him down, but to no use. I'd hoped that he had gone into seclusion, never to be bothered. But why would he resurface now? You have to be careful, Yusuke, he's incredibly lethal. I'm leaving for Ningenkai now," said Koenma. he vanished from the screen.

"A detective... Well I sure as hell am not going to let some idiot just like me be the end of the world!" shouted Yusuke. San's mind was on the run again. This Sensui character had recruited not only six humans to his side, but as far as she knew, two powerful demons as well. Yayoi and Ryo, she hadn't forgotten about them. Maybe they had seen the video as well, and that was why they were helping this demented human. There was only one way to find out, and that was to confront them. They were both out there somewhere, and San knew that she would have to face both of them, alone.

...

thanks


	35. Shinobu Sensui

"An enemy just like you? I wasn't prepared for that," said Genkai. She, along with Botan, Yusuke, Kurama and San sat in the dining room, around the table.

"Look Botan, no more innocent acts. What the hell is this?" Yusuke asked the blue haired pilot. She looked genuinely confused. San was waiting until Koenma arrived to even try and make sense of this all. It was the only thing she could think to do, and she knew that her mate was thinking along the same lines as her.

"Why me?" Botan asked.

"You help spirit detectives right? You must have been with this guy."

"In those days, I was just a simple grim reaper."

"Oh give me a break, what goods an assistant if they can't dish out the gossip? You might as well have stayed on your oar."

"Well maybe I should, I liked that job. It takes sacrifices being in human form all day."

"Let's try to stick to the subject of Sensui," Kurama butted in. Good, San had a bad enough head ache, she didn't need the bickering to make it worse.

"Fine, in that case I'm useless."

Genkai sighed, "Koenma better come soon. If I keep sitting with these kids, I'll find a better use for my spirit wave."

"Thanks Genkai," San threw in there. She smiled at her mentor before looking down and rubbing her temples. She wasn't exactly feeling 100 percent, and that was bothering her. San watched as Botan left the room, Kuwabara finally waking up. San got up and walked to the balcony, staring out at the city. Though the sunlight was hurting her head, she didn't really feel like being inside. Everything was starting to hit her, the air feeling much more intense. These weren't things that she was used to, that she never had to experience in her life before. She wanted to save this world, living here had made her more aware of it. But the small time frame made her wonder if they could even pull it off.

"How are you feeling?" she went rigid hearing a voice behind her. She silently reprimanded herself. She had let her guard down, and that was bad. She couldn't let her mate know that though. She felt his arm come around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. It started to feel better, not having to hold it up. She could feel her body start to feed off of his energy. Great, now he would know that she was weak.

"I have a head ache," she replied, knowing that it would be stupid to lie to him now.

"I'm sure it will pass."

"Yeah..."

"I've been meaning to ask you..."

This wasn't going to be good, "Yes?"

"About those two demons, from your past."

"Yayoi and Ryo. What about them?"

"I was curious as to the history on them. How they are involved with you. Mostly the vampire, the wolf makes sense."

"Yayoi was my advisor. She was my only friend in the clan, and she knew of my visions. When the news of Akatsuki's death circulated the clan, she was the only one who believed me."

"And Ryo?"

"I met him while I was hunting, before I was adopted. I'm not exactly sure how we became friends, but we did. He was very helpful. There was a war for our territory, and I was the leader of the army at that time. Ryo helped us win, by telling me what the enemy was up to. From that information, I was able to keep our realm safe from harm. I won many of the clan wars that way too. But you don't really want to know all that, Kurama. Tell me what you're looking for."

He smiled, "You know me too well, koi. Ryo is a vampire, and he must drink blood to be able to survive. What worries me, is if you've ever let him drink your blood."

"Why would that worry you?"

"Because if he has had a taste of your blood, then he can easily make you come when called."

"What?"

"A vampire can easily catch its prey, luring it to bend it to his will. It's like implanting a spell, one that you will only obey when he choses it to be so. What worries me, is that he does have feelings for you, it's obvious in his eyes. If he has tasted you, he can control you."

"And exactly how long has this been bothering you?"

"The minute I saw him look at you."

She smiled, "At least I know you care enough to be jealous."

He moved his head to kiss whatever part of her he could reach, "Always koi," he spoke softly. He moved and she was forced to lift her head. He put his hands on both of her shoulders, and she pushed the pain aside, focusing on his green eyes. She wasn't sure she exactly liked that look on his face. He then moved his hands so that they held her face, indicating that he wanted her to put her attention to his eyes only, "I need to know San. Did you let him feed off of your blood?" The intensity of his gaze slightly scared her. She knew that she couldn't lie to him about this, but was afraid of what he might say or do if he knew the truth. If she took too long to get his answer, he would know it anyway. No doubt he could feel her head ache, but this seemed to be so important, that he couldn't wait for these answers. She wasn't sure what would happen if Ryo decided to use the power he had over her, the one that she never knew he was filling her with. She was angry that he had done that to her, behind her back. Why is it that all the boys thought it would be fun to chase and scare her? This was like a bad romance pornographic film.

"Yes," she answered in a small tone. Kurama closed his eyes, looking crestfallen. San felt a tear fall down her cheek, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that could happen. I didn't even think about it, would it still work after all these years?"

He looked back into her tawny eyes, and she could see his emotions. He was worried, with slight disappointment, "I can't be certain, I do not wish to take that chance however. I'm afraid that if he can keep that hold over you, I might lose you. I don't want that, San.

"And you think I do?" his words and the tone of voice only made things worse for her.

"How many times did he feed?"

"Quite a few. I just didn't want him to go hungry, he's my friend, and he was valuable."

He could see that she was scared. She really didn't know anything about this. As far as she knew, she was just helping out a friend, and that's the most she knew. He kissed her, tasting a salty tear along with it. He then pulled her into a hug, "I know koi. I won't let anything happen to you," he spoke softly in her ear. Another pursuer. This one wasn't as obvious about it as Karasu, however, and that made him more dangerous. Unlike the demon from the tournament, this vampire could take her at any moment without much effort. She would fight him if the vampire called her to his side. Kurama was worried about that the most. She would fight to the death while the hold was on her. He had to do something to stop it from happening. Then there was the wolf demon, Yayoi. San may have to fight her as well, and he wasn't sure that she would be able to fight such an old and trusted friend.

"Hey, Kurama?" the demons heard Kuwabara speak to them, "You might want to get in here, Koenma's about to talk."

Kurama nodded at him, and then put his attention back to his mate. Her head ache was worse than she was letting on, he knew that because he could feel it. At least he was able to monitor this, make sure she didn't push herself too far. He kissed her head again, "Come, San. Let's go focus on the matter at hand," he spoke to her in a gentle voice. They broke apart from their hug, and they walked inside. Koenma was sitting at the table, along with Yusuke, Kuwabara and Genkai. San and Kurama took a seat, waiting for them to speak.

"Let's hear the down and dirty about this guy. Like what circus of freaks was he raised by to let him grow up as a traitor?" asked Kuwabara.

"I know you must have taken great care to commission him as Rekai Tantei, Koenma. How did he turn from humanity's protector to it's greatest threat?" asked Kurama.

"Exactly! Or in other words, how did you manage to mess up so bad the whole world's in danger?"

"Shut up and let him talk," Genkai put a stop to the interrogation.

Koenma cleared his throat, "In all my reign, nothing has ever seemed more natural than choosing Shinobu Sensui. He was a child prodigy. Like you Kuwabara, he could sense apparitions from a young age, and they were drawn to him like magnets. But Sensui had something known, he could destroy them. His universe was cut and dry, black and white. Demons were evil, so he had to destroy them, and that's when he saw what changed him."

"What was it?" asked Kurama. San was sitting across from Koenma, trying to read his face for more information, for the chance that he was withholding any again.

"Grey. Truck loads of grey. I'd given him an urgent case... If only I'd known the results."

"What kind of case?" asked Kuwabara.

"I had ordered him to seal up the tunnel between the human and the demon world," answered Koenma. That was certainly a surprise.

"What?" asked Yusuke, the shock probably affecting him more than anyone.

"You mean it's the exact same thing we're doing now..." trailed Kuwabara. Genkai, San and Kurama remained silent. Genkai looked completely unaffected by this news.

"The circumstances were different," said Koenma, remembering.

"Really? How?"

"That opening was only ten meters wide. There was no threat of expansion, but it was stable, allowing lower class demons to pass. It took eight psychics, the strongest they thought existed to maintain it. But it wasn't free passage for the demons, it was a trap, organized by the young Black Black Club. They captured demons as they squeezed through, and sold them at enormous profit."

"Black Black Club, rings a few bells," said Yusuke.

"Those are the jerks who watched us as we rescued Yukina!" said Kuwabara.

"That's right, and one up and comer had just worked his way into the group by his talent at capturing demons. Sakyo."

"Quite the turn," said Kurama. San wasn't really surprised to hear this. It actually made a lot of sense if one would think of it more deeply.

"Sakyo? You mean he was already starting stuff since I was getting kicked out of kindergarten?" asked Yusuke in shock.

"One way to look at it, yeah. Today there's an entire culture of demon body guards for corporate crooks. A multi-billion black market industry. Sakyo began it all. My intelligence picked up news of a giant transaction that night. All key members of the Black Black Club and the purging demon sight would be there. If successful, it would propel them to every corner of the globe. If he we intervened, we could bring the demon trade to its knees. The raid was successful. Sensui and his partner, Itsuki were skilled, and the demons weak. They caught the club by surprise and cornered them. It was, perhaps, too much by surprise, as Sensui saw something he never should have seen."

"Something he shouldn't have seen? Like what?" asked Kuwabara.

"Yeah, don't make me use the running vagueness joke," said Yusuke.

"It's a reckless show of indulgence from humanity's darker side. A ritualistic party they called the feast of human vices. These privileged humans were toying with the demons they'd ensnared, torturing them with no motivation other than their twisted pleasure. Sensui had sworn his life by protecting his race from demons, but here, humans were enacting cruelties 1000 times worse than anything he had seen from a demon. Black and white blurred, flipped upside down. His mind wasn't big enough to hold the change. Sensui lived his life on the straight and narrow, but what he saw that night went against everything he knew this world to be," explained Koenma.

"A lot like us after we went to rescue Yukina," Kuwabara noted to Yusuke.

"Yeah... you're right," acknowledged Yusuke.

"But there is a most important difference between your reaction and his," continued Koenma, "There, in that room, Sensui fell into a rage, and murdered every human at that feast. Something in him fractured. He became obsessed with the Chapter Black tape, and then, they both, were gone. Maybe Sensui was too dedicated to his cause, too hard a worker. He gave himself entirely to the purge of evil. Then he came to question the sanctity of the human race itself. Now, he wants the life of every human, as atonement for their collective sins," Koenma finished as he stood.

"That's the reason he's opening the tunnel to Makai, to unleash the punishment," noted Genkai.

"See? That's why I always half ass, grandma. Never take yourself too seriously, and you won't turn into a friggin' fanatic," said Yusuke.

Koenma looked at him, "Precisely why I chose you after Sensui failed. I wanted someone who wouldn't think too much." San burst out laughing.

"Yes, of course!" said Kurama.

"Don't be too quick to defend me pal," said Yusuke. San laughed harder.

"Sorry."

"And you, how can you laugh like that in such a dire situation!" Yusuke yelled at San. She stopped laughing, cringing slightly at the frequency of his voice. Kurama caught it, only because he could feel it, she assumed. He grabbed her hand and held it, lightly.

"I don't know where Sensui's been these last ten years, or why he waited until now. I let myself believe that he lost his mind, he was harmless. I should have tracked him better. One thing I know about Sensui is that he'll never stop, not until he's accomplished his goal," Koenma spoke. San vaguely heard him, sensing eyes on her. There was two different scents that came to her, though, they were very faint, seeing as the intruders were listening in on their conversation from the building across the way. Yusuke and Kurama had caught on about a minute later, turning to look in the same direction as her. San could see Sensui, and another one of his lackies.

"We're not alone," stated Yusuke. Those evil eyes of Sensui were focused on the group, and San glared at him, despite the pain in her head. "It's him!" Yusuke realized who was staring at him. Her mate and Yusuke walked up to the window, not daring to step out onto the balcony. It would be hard to know what those two were capable of, especially with all the information they now had. "He's listening," said Yusuke. San stood as well, walking over to get a better look. Kurama stood in front of her protectively. He knew that one of the demons on the enemies side was lurking about. Sensui looked to the other human standing with him and nodded. The black haired man opened up his hand, pointing it at the window next to them. Sniper.

"Their after Mitarai!" exclaimed Kuwabara, jumping up and running to the next room. The enemy unleashed his attack, and judging from the commotion San heard, he was unsuccessful. Sniper fired another shot at them, but San knew that it would miss. Genkai and Koenma stood with Yusuke, Kurama, and San, observing. Sensui began to speak to sniper.

"I was counting on your weakness, Seaman, as well as your betrayal. I've heard every word you've spoken, and now that you've served your purpose, you can die with the humans you couldn't detach yourself from," San couldn't hear him, she had to read the lips.

"What I wouldn't give to know what stupid bedazzled forehead was saying," Yusuke spoke.

"They are saying they let Seaman go so they could follow him to us," Kurama filled in.

"No kidding, you can hear him all the way up there?"

"Not exactly."

"We are lip reading, you should try it sometime," said Genkai.

"I confess, Sniper, at first I was surprised that they had the one we needed among them," Sensui spoke again, "Call me childish, but I think it supports my view. We two detectives are destined to clash."

"He said the one they needed is among us," Kurama translated for Yusuke.

"What?" Yusuke was confused. Kuwabara. His new spirit sword, that was all San could think of, the image that came to her head. She heard him crash through the other room and make his way outside. Yusuke ran after him.

"Wait you idiot!" Yusuke yelled, running after his friend. "Haven't you learned? You're like an ugly singer with a good voice, best for back up!" That was the last San heard. The images that came to San caused her head ache to become worse. Everything started to go white, her vision starting. She saw Kuwabara standing in front of the kakai barrier, preparing to chop it down. The demons came flooding through the gate. Everything went black after that, and all she saw were Sensui and another standing over her. She didn't recognize this other that was with him, but she knew that he was dangerous as well. They started to blur, and she knew her vision was over. Kurama was standing in front of her, with Koenma and Genkai.

"San?" Kurama tried to get through to her.

She blinked, realization dawning on her, "Yusuke and Kuwabara!" she yelled, taking off after them. She knew the others would follow her. They were at a stand off with Sensui and Sniper. Apparently they decided to have a nice and friendly conversation first, and San arrived in the middle of it.

"Simple minded boys, it means two days until the tunnel is complete," said Sensui, holding up two fingers in front of him.

"What?" asked Yusuke in disbelief.

"What the matter detective Yusuke Urameshi? Did you think you had more time?"

"A little bird from spirit world said we still had a full week," said Yusuke, stepping forward.

"Come on now, we both know not to trust their intelligence. We made two leaps forward last night," Sensui informed them. Kurama and Genkai showed up just then. Her mate took the protective stance in front of her again. She wondered why he was doing that, but now wasn't the time to ask questions. Koenma showed up just then, distracting her thoughts.

"Yo, Sensui," said the ruler of Rakai.

"Been a long time."

"I would hope you have more to say to me than that," said Koenma. Then, Keiko showed up. She stopped dead in her tracks after passing the building slightly. She spotted Sensui and Sniper, and then looked back to Yusuke.

"What is this Yusuke?" she asked quietly.

"Get back against the wall now," he responded to her slowly. She did as she was told, obviously scared of what was happening.

"Okay! I'm taking this one," declared Kuwabara.

"Don't be a moron. You'll play it like I tell you," Yusuke told him.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" asked Kuwabara, outraged.

"Beating Seaman was a brave feat, but you're injured, and in no shape to fight," said Kurama. Maybe that's why he was being to protective of her, because he knew that if push came to shove, she wouldn't be able to fight very well at all. She was still weak from the Polistros.

"He's right," Genkai reinforced. Kuwabara scoffed, but stayed put. Yusuke stepped forward.

"Keep your distance, Yusuke, it's no cake walk for you either," cautioned Koenma. Yusuke looked at him, "I started him off to. He can store up his reiki and fire it, just like you."

"So him and Urameshi have the same technique?" asked Kuwabara.

"How strong's his power?" asked Genkai.

"Can't say, we don't know what he's learned in the last ten years," answered Koenma.

"Then any initial contact will be a gamble," said Kurama. San knew he was trying to devise a strategy for them. Kuwabara was really upset now.

"Are you listening to all of this Urameshi?" he asked.

"Sounds like fun," San could hear the smirk in his voice. He began to walk forward.

"Go easy," said Koenma.

"Guess when you become a champ you get to do all the cool stuff," said Kuwabara.

"Will you stop? It's not your fight," San told him, annoyed. She watched as Yusuke walked towards Sensui. She couldn't help but he curious as to what would happen here, this being quite the showdown.

"Afternoon, Detective Sensui," Yusuke spoke, "Rumour is, you snapped, you could only deal with the baby stuff."

"Far to the contrary, Urameshi. I came to lead you along the path of truth," replied Sensui.

"I'll stop you, freak."

"You will fail," said Sensui. Both of them began to charge up their energy. San's eyes widened slightly.

"They both just flared up without any warning," stated Kuwabara. San watched as Sniper backed off. Yusuke and Sensui began to run, gauging each other. Yusuke finally was able to make a move. He charged as Sensui, using his speed to catch the former detective off guard and try and land a punch. Sensui smacked it away, and then kicked Yusuke. San narrowed her eyes. For some reason, she got this weird urge to search her enemy's mind. She hadn't used a tactic like this in years, but this feeling was strong. She kept her face the same, but she wanted to scream. The torment in there was unbearable, and yet, there was more than just one person. It seemed as if there were seven of him. How was that even possible? She couldn't be sure, but she took her mind out of him, and watched the two of them fight. She knew something was lurking around in the shadows, and she just assumed it was Ryo, knowing that he wouldn't be able to walk out in the sunlight. That could be just another reason that Kurama was being so protective of her. She blinked, hard, trying not to think anymore. There were more pressing matters at hand, like this fight.


	36. The Chase

Shinobu Sensui versus Yusuke Urameshi. San figured something cheesy like this would happen, only she had to take it seriously. What's more, Ryo was lurking in the shadows, probably waiting for a chance to snatch her. She was afraid of that. But that wasn't even all of it. Sensui needed Kuwabara to break the kakai barrier, and she assumed that he had a plan to isolate the human. She wasn't even how this was all going to happen, but she knew that despite her head ache, she had to keep her guard up. There was no room for failure at this point. Two more days, and the tunnel would be complete. The pressure was on, and she was worried about that as well. All these thoughts and yet, nothing on what they could do, not a strategy on how they could win. She used to be a general damnit, she should be able to think in pressures like these. The head ache she had wasn't helping either, it seemed to only be getting worse as the day wore on. She shook her head slightly, forcing herself to pay attention to the matters at hand.

"Try that again," she heard Yusuke speak. She watched as he charged at Sensui, trying again to land a blow. The same thing happened, Sensui blocked and retaliated with his legs. She recognized this style of fighting, but couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. The force of Sensui's kick was incredible, and it knocked Yusuke into the street light. San was flabbergasted, and didn't think to move closer until she felt her mate's hand grab her.

"Get yourself off the ground, Urameshi!" yelled Kuwabara, "You won't defeat him lying down!" Yusuke shot to his feet, eyeing down his opponent.

"As I thought, the two detectives are too much alike," said Kurama. San looked at him. Though he seemed to be focused on the match in front of them, she was sure he could sense the vampire's presence in the shadows. She did notice how protective he was being of her today, "With their similar background, it's like fighting your own reflection in the mirror. A futile war that cannot be won. Sensui anticipates Yusuke's every move. It's what he would do, only, he's one step ahead."

"You're not wrong, and its thanks to his resshuuken style," stated Genkai.

"Resshuuken?"

"That's it!" exclaimed San. They looked at her questioningly, "Oh! I just couldn't remember what it was called. Resshuuken is a special brand of martial arts. It depends on fast foot work, so him having long legs is a huge advantage. Basically, he stays in one spot while blocking attacks with his arms, and then sends back powerful kicks. Most fighters are going to attack with their fists, and this style makes for an easy win depending on strength and will power of the opponent."

"There are stringent rules governing the study of the resshuuken style. One may only learn it's ways once they have every other technique under their belt. So many consider it the strongest and most elegant maneuver in all of martial arts," said Genkai.

"Yes old woman, you recognize the resshuuken form, but this technique, you have never seen," said Sensui, creating a ball of energy in his left hand. San was curious as to what he was going to do. "My own special blend of resshuuken and reiki. A vengeful new twist on an old favourite. I like to call it the reiko resshukeen."

"Remarkable. Energy and style as one," said Kurama.

"Yeah, be even more remarkable if it wasn't out to kill us," she gave him a look. He gave her a guilty sort of look, remembering that he should keep those opinions to himself. She turned her attention back to Sensui, wondering when his attack would come. It wasn't long, he threw the ball of energy into the air.

"It's time to judge your allies!" he declared, jumping and then kicking his ball of energy like it was nothing more than a soccer ball.

"Get down now!" Yusuke shouted to them. San stood her ground, knowing that between her, Genkai, and Koenma, this attack would not affect them. She watched it come, and then it flew right by them. Did he miss? No, it collided with the building behind them. Yusuke's building.

"Oh no, isn't that Yusuke's apartment?" Kurama confirmed.

"The girls!" San shouted, taking a step forward. She was about to take off at her demon speed to see them, but her mate had grabbed her arm. She turned to look at him like he was retarded.

"Wait," he spoke.

"Kurama!" she protested, pulling on her arm. He gave her a stern look, and she knew that he wasn't going to let down this time. She turned her head back to the building, hoping the others were alright. She couldn't believe how stupid they were, not seeing this tactic that was painfully obvious if thought about.

"Damn Sensui. All this muscle flexing was just a diversion," said Koenma.

"A diversion? That ding bat's diversion could have killed Botan or my sister!" declared Kuwabara. "Hold on! Help is on the way!" yelled Kuwabara, running towards the apartment building.

"Kuwabara!" San yelled after him, knowing that he had to be protected at all costs. San tried to run again, forgetting that her mate had her arm. She turned to glare at him, but he remained adamant. She growled, her focus being brought back to the injured human.

"Kuwabara! Heads up!" Yusuke yelled. Sensui was coming to drop kick him. But that didn't make any sense, they needed Kuwabara alive. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. All of this wasn't making sense, it was just a show. There was something else happening here, some plan that she wasn't aware of. She wished she could get more information, but knew it would be foolish to let her mind become more weak than it already was. Luckily, Kuwabara was able to move out of the way in time. Sensui stood in front of them, Yusuke running up to meet him. He stopped just short of the others.

"Alright guys, you go take care of the girls!" Yusuke instructed.

"And meanwhile you'll be?" asked Koenma.

"Permanently retiring his ass."

"For such a dumb kid, you've got a pretty smart mouth Urameshi," said Sensui.

"What, do you like smarts?" asked Yusuke, charging at his enemy, "Tell if this is smarts enough for ya!" he went to attack again, but then stopped short. He moved around his enemy fast, trying to confuse Sensui. It was a very good shot, but the problem was, if San could see it, then Sensui could as well. She watched as Yusuke finally went to punch, but Sensui anticipated it, blocking. A thunderous kick sent Yusuke flying across the way in through a window in the building. San gasped. This was ridiculous. Sensui walked to stand in the broken window. San was happy that there was no one around, though she wondered what people in their apartments were seeing.

"It's a shame junior couldn't find a better replacement. I just can't decide if I should be insulted or flattered," said Sensui. He then began to run, which was something none of them were expecting. The others ran to where Yusuke was. He darted out of the building, and then ran after Sensui. Koenma and Genkai ran towards Yusuke's building. San was about to run after them, but Kurama grabbed her arm again.

"You stay with me," he told her in a no nonsense tone. It was a command, but it was one she wasn't going to argue with at this point. She, Kurama and Kuwabara ran after the two detectives, all the while San wondering if they were stepping right into a trap. She assumed Kurama would think along the same lines as her, knowing that if the enemy was that powerful, he'd have no reason to run. She could still feel someone watching her as well, and that thing continued to follow them. What bothered San was that she couldn't pick up a scent. They stopped after getting to the end of the alleyway. People occupied the streets, but Sensui stuck out like a sore thumb. San was ashamed to admit that Yusuke had spotted him first. The chase continued on into a building. San was right behind Yusuke, stopped a fair distance from him. Sensui stepped out into the open. What was he up to?

"They just don't make spirit detectives like they used to," said Sensui, obviously trying to get a rise out of Yusuke. The problem with that was, it worked.

"You mean crazy and evil? No, they sure don't, thank you," Yusuke retorted. Sensui laughed while Yusuke jumped for another attack. They ran at each other, Sensui utilizing the fighting style to once again kick his enemy. Only this time, Yusuke blocked it. It still sent him flying backwards, but at least it didn't hurt him nearly as much as a direct hit. This Sensui guy was really starting to piss San off.

"Geeze, Urameshi. Just stop playing chicken with this guy and use your spirit gun to deep fry his skinny little rear!" yelled Kuwabara.

"Unless Yusuke prevents those feet from turning, any attempt at a counter attack would be like tilting at window," said Kurama. San glanced at him for just a moment. He seemed different to her lately, since she had woken up. Her thoughts were diminished when she saw Sensui finally land a powerful blow to the abdomen. San narrowed her eyes, not liking the way he was toying with Yusuke. She then saw that Yusuke had grasped Sensui's leg, and she was truly impressed.

"Well now that I finally got a leg up on you, let's see how you play kick ball with this!" said Yusuke, powering up his hand with spirit power and getting ready to land a blow to Sensui. The former detective simply used his other leg to land a thunderous kick to Yusuke's head.

"What an amazing thing..." San trailed.

"Damnit San, now's not the time for that!" Kuwabara told her.

"Oh yeah, that makes sense. Kurama gets to comment on how remarkable a technique is, but the minute I open my mouth, it's not allowed," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. Yusuke was on the ground, and it looked like he wasn't getting back up. Looked like were the key words. San and the others ran closer to see what was happening.

"Hey you yellow bellied bully, you just going to kick a man while he's down?" demanded Kuwabara, running up to Sensui. "Why not fight me? The warrior of love, the defender of the defenseless."

"He'll kill you!" shouted Yusuke.

"For I am Kazuma Kuwabara!" the human continued on, ignoring Yusuke. Kuwabara began to power up, and San was kind of hoping to see this new attack, "And now prepare to feel my shiny new sword!" Kuwabara unleashed his spirit energy, but the sword looked no different. San supposed that was a good thing, hopefully letting Sensui believe that he was wrong. "Wait a sec, this is just my plain old, everyday spirit sword! What happened to that new suited up one that I used against Seaman? Darn, that would have been cool!" San and Kurama had just caught up to him. "Here it goes!"

"That isn't very wise!" Kurama yelled to him.

"Relax, Sensui won't kill Kuwabara. They need him alive," San told him.

"What?" but Kuwabara was kicked back by Sensui.

"Mother fucker!" San yelled, charging at Sensui. She was getting ready to release a seed from the dusk plant. It wrapped around her fist, and she unleashed her attack. She blocked one kick, knowing he relied on his legs. He was too fast for her though, and she was weaker than normal. He kicked her back as well. She braced herself to hit something hard, knowing she couldn't stop the force.

"San!" she heard her mate. He jumped up to catch her, his body stopping her from flying any farther. He set her down gently and then began to charge at Sensui himself, unleashing his rose whip. Sensui just jumped out the window, landing smoothly on the ground. Kurama joined him, along with Yusuke and Kuwabara, wielding his weapon. There was just one problem with that though.

"So, dare you risk that erratic weapon among civilians?" asked Sensui laughing. Kurama narrowed his eyes, and that's when San jumped down to stand beside him in a defensive stance. Only this time, she was a white wolf, the mark of her mate shining brightly. "I'm hurt Kurama, isn't my death worth a few lives? They'll be dead soon enough. Farewell."

"After him!" yelled Yusuke, following his enemy. Kuwabara ran after him as well, Kurama and San beginning their pursuit. But then, another white wolf jumped and tackled San, biting at her. The two of them stood facing each other.

"San!" she could hear Kurama yell. He knew by the faded marks on the enemy wolf that it was Yayoi. Both of them were growling at each other, waiting for the next move. Yayoi lunged at San, landing on top of her. They both fought, biting and scratching at what they could. San bit Yayoi so hard that she whimpered and backed away. They were at a stand off again, and then, Yayoi darted in the other direction. San growled and began to chase after her, "Don't! They're trying to separate us!" Kurama yelled to her. He began to run after his mate, but was blocked by Sniper and his motorcycle. Sniper had his weapons ready and Kurama glared. If anything happened to San, he would personally hold this human responsible. "You can't do that with these innocents standing around," Kurama told him.

"Fine, not that I ever miss my target. But if its a change of venue you want, I'm game," said Sniper. Kurama growled, his mate getting further away from him by the second. The faster he got rid of this human blocking his path, the faster he could find San and hopefully keep her away from that vampire. Sniper looked as if he was getting ready to launch his attack. Kurama was waiting, ready to retaliate.

"Kurama! It's Kuwabara, we have to find Yusuke and warn him-"

"Stay back!" Kurama yelled cutting her off. With Keiko present, it provoked Sniper to attack her instead of the fox. One shot was fired towards her instantly but Puu had stepped up to the challenge, getting in the way to save the girl. Kurama's attention was turned back to Sniper once he revved up his engine on his motorcycle. Kurama's first instinct was to attack, but it missed. His enemy sped right off the bridge and onto the street, speeding away. Kurama watched as he went off in the same direction that San did. She'd be too far ahead for Sniper to catch up by now, but Yayoi was also on their side. His attention came back to Keiko, who was pleading with the spirit animal to show signs of life. Kurama walked over to her, putting his rose whip away for now.

"Keiko, are you injured?" he asked.

"No, but we absolutely have to get to Kuwabara before they do," she replied.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Shizuru told me that they need Kuwabara to finish the tunnel to demon world."

"What?" Kurama asked in disbelief. That must have been why San was so protective of him. "Come, let's hurry," he told her, running in the direction Sensui, Yusuke and Kuwabara went. Just as they were coming to an underground parking lot, a truck sped by them.

"Oh no we're too late," said Keiko, seeing Kuwabara in the enemy's clutches.

"Look out below!" yelled Yusuke, jumping down from a higher floor, "Your car's about to be impounded. Spirit gun!" Yusuke fired his weapon at the retreating truck. The blast was massive, and would kill anything on impact. Kurama couldn't believe that he would do that, knowing that his friend was there. "Oh shit, I forgot about Kuwabara!"

"Really Yusuke. How could you shoot a blast that big without thinking it could kill everyone on board including him?" what Kurama wouldn't give for one of San's clever comments.

"I was mad!" was Yusuke's great defense.

"Urameshi! If you kill me, you are so dead!" Kuwabara yelled from the back of the truck. Sensui began to power up, a small reiki ball hovering above his palm. He kicked it with such force, and it collided with the spirit gun blast, causing a big explosion. Kurama shielded his eyes from the light and the wind coming from the combined weapons. He saw them drive away and out of sight.

"On the bright side, at least Kuwabara survived," he spoke.

"Yeah, and they got away!" shouted Yusuke, running towards the various bicycles that were chained under a small awning.

"Yusuke!" cried Keiko, running towards him. He was prying a bike off its lock, "What are you doing? That's not even yours..."

"It is now!" he declared, setting the bike down and preparing to chase after Sensui and Kuwabara, "Keiko you know I can't let them hurt Kuwabara," he stared directly at her. He then pulled the bike lock away, annoyed, "Stupid bike lock. And don't tell me not to save him, its what he would do." Keiko was silent, the two of them sharing a small moment. Yusuke then took off.

"Wait, there's something you need to know!" she called after him. Kurama watched his retreating back, knowing that his chase was over for now. He would have began his hunt for his mate, but Keiko was here, and he didn't want to leave her by herself. He could sense Ryo around, knowing that Yayoi was busy with San. There was nothing more to do here.

"Let's return to the others," Kurama told her. She took a moment to contemplate that idea, and then nodded. They began to run back to the apartment, hoping that Genkai and Koenma were there to help out the injured. It didn't take them long to get there, considering they hadn't strayed too far in the first place. He was about to ascend the stairs when he noticed that Keiko was no longer with him. He supposed she was tired, not used to this kind of strenuous activity. He turned and just as he suspected, she had stopped before the stairs. She wasn't catching her breath, however, she had a look of surprise on her face.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"Puu flew off," she answered, pointing in his direction. Kurama looked and then followed the animal with Keiko on his heels. Kurama gasped, seeing Shizuru unconscious on the ground. He knelt down, immediately checking for a pulse. He was relieved to feel one, and then figured out that she must've collapsed due to blood loss. "Is she okay?"

"She should be, once we get her to Genkai. What I wouldn't give for San's powers right now. Go on ahead and see if Genkai is there. If not, then we'll have to rely on my slow acting herbs for now," he instructed. He picked up Shizuru carefully, and proceeded up the stairs towards Yusuke's apartment. He could see the damage, and wondered how many others were injured, or worse, dead. Kurama's eyes widened when he got into the apartment. He followed his way to Yusuke's room, Keiko leading the way.

"Oh Genkai, thank goodness. I'm so glad you're here," said Keiko upon entering Yusuke's room. Kurama was relieved as well.

"Why might that be?" the old psychic asked.

He heard Keiko gasp, "Oh no, not Botan!"

"Hold off the water works, she'll be conscious in a minute," Kurama was relieved to hear that.

"Master Genkai," he spoke from outside the door. He walked in, "I hope there's strength for one more."

"Shizuru..." Koenma trailed.

"This whole rag tag team is falling into pieces, aren't we? Just put her down on the bed," Genkai instructed, walking over to the blond. "What I wouldn't give for San's powers right now," she muttered. "Where is the bitch anyway? I thought you had her on a tight leash."

Kurama was about to answer when Botan began to regain consciousness, "I'm up! Hey, when did all of you get here?" she asked, getting up to her knees.

"Glad you're okay," said Koenma

"Huh? And why wouldn't I be?"

"Your formerly fractured back is one good reason I can think of," said Genkai. Botan looked confused.

"When we came in we found you lying under this very heavy bookshelf," Koenma told her.

"Well that's a silly place for me to be," she said, laughing.

"You don't remember how you were crushed? Things like that would make an impression."

"I don't know. Doesn't sound like something I'd do..."

"I know!" announced Mitarai, "She got trapped while she was trying to save me." Kurama looked at him with his eyes slightly narrowed. "When the book shelf started to topple, she shoved me out of the way and... She got crushed instead of me," he explained. It looked as if he was struggling within himself, "I don't understand, it's not how he said. First Kuwabara, and now you do it!" Mitarai rose to his feet, "Why do yo people keep saving my life?" Now would be a good time for one of San's sarcastic comments. Too bad Kurama couldn't think of any. "It's not how he said... Why?"

"Cause... that's just what people do," Botan answered simply. "Oh, but I think I'm starting to remember. I saw the explosion and I was knocked against the wall. Then I saw the bookshelf start to fall... So that's what happened, I just acted without thinking."

"I'd believe that," stated Koenma.

Botan laughed, "I like to think it's a good trait not to over think everything."

"I'd say it is like that for a great many people, when another being's life is put into jeopardy," said Kurama, seeing that Mitarai was confused.

"Well that's never been the case in my experience growing up. And not on that video tape!"

"Chapter Black is a one-sided argument. It's part of a set, never meant to be seen alone," said Koenma.

"No! That's all a big lie!"

Kurama walked over to the boy, "Mitarai, I understand your dilemma. You've witnessed the worst mankind has to offer, in life and on tape. But if your eyes remain open, you'll see the best all around."

"Speaking of, has anyone see Yusuke?" asked Koenma. When an answer could be provided, they all were distracted by Shizuru waking up.

"Welcome back," said Genkai.

"What about Kazuma?" asked Shizuru instantly.

"I'm afraid he has been captured by Sensui and his men," Kurama informed the girl. She sighed sadly, "I'm sorry. We made a valiant effort, by could not stop them."

"Don't be yourself up over it. If I wasn't standing under falling debris, I could have warned all of you that Kazuma was the one they wanted this whole time."

"But why is Kuwabara on everybody's A list now?" asked Koenma.

"Because of what he can do. Sensui needs him to carry out the plan," Mitarai answered, "Kuwabara's a lot stronger, a lot more important than any of you seem to give him credit for. After all, he beat me, and in that fight, he awakened a new power. The power to slice through dimensions, through territories, psychic barriers... The very power Mr. Sensui was seeking."

"You're killing me. If Kuwabara can do that, and they've got him, they can crack the kakai barrier we raised to seal off Makai. Then all hell will break loose, literally. There will be no stopping the A class or... heaven forbid, the S class demons from destroying mankind," said Koenma.

"I trust Yusuke with a lot theses days, but not this," said Genkai.

"Then we must come to his aid," said Kurama.

"If we can find him. We'll round up Kaito and Yana while we're at it."

"Yes."

"Keiko, Shizuru, you stay here in case Yusuke, or even San comes here looking for us. We'll need her help to."

"Okay," Keiko nodded at the woman.

"What about me?" asked Mitarai. They all turned to look at them, "Is there anything I can help you do?"

"You should search your soul for the answer to that. You're free to go with us, or you're free to be our foe. But if you chose the latter, then I will show you no mercy. Remember what San told you, that you must chose what you believe, and make your stand," Kurama told him.

"Let's go," said Genkai, leading the party out.

"Now which way are we supposed to go?" asked Koenma once they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Beats me."

"We have no idea where Yusuke went."

"Wait up!" a voice called to them from the top of the stairs. It was Mitarai, and he was weak, but still trying to reach them. He fell to his knees, "Please wait for me. Or is it too late now for me to go along with you guys?" Kurama smiled, walking up to him. He offered out his hand to the boy.

"It's never too late to reform one's ways, trust me. Welcome to our team," he spoke, helping Mitarai up.


	37. Mind over Matter

San was chasing after the white wolf that attacked her on the bridge. She knew it was Yayoi, and she had to catch up to her old friend. If the two of them could talk, San was sure that they could figure this all out. She didn't want to fight her friend, and would welcome her help if it was possible. Yayoi was leading them further away from the city, and into the forest. Figures, the two of them were best for combat in a forest, where vegetation would be their greatest advantage. Normally San would have caught up by now, but in her weakened state, it was hard to do anything normal anymore. What a terrible day. Feeling like this, she was better off unconscious. However, there was no way that she could just sit back and watch others suffer. She had already let her guard down once today, and this time, she couldn't afford to do it again. Once Yayoi had jumped into the forest, San had lost her. She wasn't worried though, she could still hunt her down with her nose. Let the games begin.

The forest was huge, but San had a scent that she could follow easily. There were many aroma's that traveled to her, but she only focused on one. She finally spotted her prey not too far away. She was in demon form again, so San changed as well. She approached with caution, knowing that her opponent was aware of her presence. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she was there. Yayoi's raven hair blew in the wind, making it look as if she was just a human posing for a painting, aside from the visible tail and ears. San's only concern was Yayoi's strength. San did not have the ability to even change into her demon form, while Yayoi could clearly remain that way.

"So, we meet again, my Queen," said Yayoi. Her eyes were fixated on San's.

"What are you doing, Yayoi?" asked San, stopping a good distance away.

"Getting what I deserve Moriko."

"But what do you mean by that?"

"These past centuries have not been good to me, old friend. Throughout the years I have been raped, beaten, abducted and treated very poorly by many mates and many humans. Destroying this world will bring me closure, closure that I deserve. Humans have done nothing to benefit me or our world. They're like a disease that spreads, like the plague we faced many moons ago. I want this world to suffer, and I want to be there, killing along with the rest of those who believe the same things that I do. Humans are greedy, and stupid. They are only good for hunting and feasting."

San gasped in horror, "No... You've eaten humans?"

"Yes. Not nearly as good as the food back in our realm, but satisfying just the same."

"You would understand if you came to live with me in my world, Moriko," said a new voice. It was Ryo. He was standing in the shade, out of the sun. San turned to look at him, fear slightly occupying her mind.

"Join us Moriko. I do not wish to fight you."

San shook her head, "No, I cannot allow either of you to do this."

"You're speaking as if you have a choice, my Queen," said Ryo in a voice that made San look at him curiously, "Come with us, Moriko. Fight along side us, like you belong," he spoke in that same soft and alluring voice. He held out a hand, while San was trapped in his eyes. She felt as if she was in a trance, taking a step forward. She wanted to go with him, spend all of eternity with him. It was like a pull, and she willingly let it take her. The gap between them was closing, Yayoi watching on with triumph in her eyes. "Take my hand Moriko, and we can spend forever together," the sound of his voice drove her towards him. It was inviting, as well as intoxicating. The closer she got, the more anxious to get there she became. Her eyes were vacant, as she continued her journey.

...

Kurama had just finished informing Kaito and Yana about what had happened and where to meet them. Genkai was right, they were going to need all the help they could get. Not to mention, San has been missing for a while now, chased after Yayoi and probably led right to Ryo. That thought made him really nervous, but he knew that now was not the time to go looking for her. He hadn't told Genkai about the vampire, not having the chance yet. If only Hiei were here, then he'd at least be able to make mental contact with her. Kurama sighed, walking out of the phone booth and back towards the others.

"Kaito and Yana will be waiting for us at the Mushiyori Station," he said to Genkai, Botan, Koenma and Mitarai

"And where do we go from there? We still have no clue which way Yusuke was heading," said Botan.

"Demon's Door Cave," Mitarai told them, "I'm sure that's where Mr. Sensui will be taking Kuwabara. Mr. Itsuki's waiting there for him to bring a psychic that can break the kakai barrier."

"See? You're already more useful than road kill," said Genkai. Kurama couldn't help but hear San's laughter in his head. He was still wondering where she was, knowing that Ryo was no longer lurking about near him. He was hoping that the vampire didn't have a hold on her, but was going to prepare for the worst.

"I wish Yusuke had his communication mirror. He says it looks like a compact and fate forbid he be seen with make up," said Botan.

"Don't worry, if he's half the bad boy he thinks he is, which isn't totally unthinkable... He should manage to tough it all out and stay on their trail. In which case we should cross paths eventually, so let's move."

"Genkai," Kurama began as Koenma spoke with Botan. The old woman looked at the red headed demon annoyed, probably guessing he had something to say about San, "Should we not begin a search for San?"

"San can take care of herself. Unless you've done something stupid like she has in the past and forgot to tell me something."

Kurama looked down, "There's a vampire with Sensui's group, one that San knew in her past life as Moriko. He drank her blood, and now I fear he might be able to have a hold on her, one that she may not be able to fight."

"Then she's the idiot. Her mind is strong, she should be able to fight it off."

"She's not even at full strength..."

"You're talking about Ryo, right?" asked Mitarai.

"Yes. Him and another wolf, Yayoi, the two demons that work for the same master you once did."

Mitarai nodded, "Those two were always off on their own. They were part of the team before I was, so I'm afraid I can't give much information about them. But they are incredibly loyal and very intent on opening the tunnel. They are mated, also."

"Mated?" Kurama looked at Mitarai in alarm. But if he was mated, why would he still want San?

"Ryo would take her to Sensui, so no matter what, we'll find her. If not, her nose is powerful enough to lead her to us, and her speed makes time non existent," Genkai deduced.

"I pray that you are right," Kurama muttered to himself. He knew she was in pain, though it be minor, it was still pain. _San..._

...

"Come to me, Moriko. This is where you belong," Ryo's voice was inviting, and San was powerless to stop herself. But she didn't want to stop, she wanted to go with him. He was right, she belonged with him, there was no one else. The faster she got there, the better everything would be. "Your destiny lies with me," he spoke again. Yes, how right he was.

-Hn. What about the fox?- she heard a voice in her head.

-Fox?- she questioned. Who was this voice? And what was it talking about, a fox? She didn't know any fox, just Ryo. That was all that mattered at this point, all that she cared about. She had to make it there, and then everything would be okay. Nothing could harm her once she got to him. Her hand was about to make a connection with his.

"San!" she stopped dead in her tracks. San? Only few people called her that.

"Ignore that Moriko, come to me," Ryo's voice brought her back to her previous state. She looked back into his eyes, getting ready for that final and fatal step. She stopped again, blinking. Ryo was suddenly gone and standing in front of her was Hiei? She gasped, the memories coming flooding back to her. Hiei, Yusuke, Genkai, Koenma, Kuwabara and.. Kurama! Her mate! She had forgotten all about him. This is what he was trying to warn her about, what he was afraid of. She had to find him, to tell him that it was still possible to have the hold on her. Hiei nodded at her, and she turned, seeing Ryo stand, still in the shadows. Yayoi was on her feet as well, and the four of them were ready to fight.

"I hope you're not thinking about fighting me, vampire. Your mind control won't work while I'm here, and you won't have another chance to use it," Hiei told Ryo in a menacing voice, unsheathing his sword.

"I think you need a reality check, vermin. How can you possibly hope to beat me?" Ryo retorted.

"I can't believe you would side with them, Moriko, after they took your brother and everything they've done to our clan," said Yayoi.

"This is my home now, and you are not welcome here," San growled at the two of them. She wasn't going to stand for this. How dare they think that they can take her so easily? They could, that was the problem. She was lucky that Hiei was lurking about in the area. She felt something strange just then, as if someone had opened up their territory. She saw Ryo and Yayoi look at each other smugly.

"It seems we have guests, beloved," Ryo turned to look at Yayoi.

"Yes it does. Sniper must be engaging Urameshi now. How nice, all three of you will die in the same forest," said Yayoi.

"Beloved? You two are mated?" San asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Moriko, and unlike you and your pathetic mate, the two of us can remain in demon form. You're a washed up Queen with nothing but humans to defend you. I don't know why we even bother wasting our time on you." San's eyes flashed dark for a moment. She began to power up her energy, only it was her powers of darkness. She fired a shot at the two of them. They dodged, but were staring at her like a ghost.

"She can harness the powers of darkness," said Ryo.

"But that can't be, she is a demon of the light!" exclaimed Yayoi.

"That was dark power, we must take her to Mr. Sensui."

"Oh, so you'll sit there and complain about how vile humans are, and yet, you're taking orders from them," San spat at them, her energy still waiting to be unleashed.

"Temporarily. Once that door opens, we plan on devouring him whole."

"Hn. I don't think I want such annoying pests walking the Earth with me. I think I'll kill you both now," said Hiei. He used his speed and was engaged with Ryo. San kept her eyes on Yayoi. The demoness looked confident, but San was sure that she had much more training than her opponent.

"It seems now is finally the time we face each other, my Queen," said Yayoi.

"Yayoi, you can still stop this, I do not wish to fight you," replied San.

"I'm not going to stop Moriko, I'm going to see this through until the end."

"Then you leave me no choice," San growled, getting ready to change her form. Before that could happen, Ryo was knocked into Yayoi, and exposed to the sunlight. He started to scream and San watched in horror as he began to set fire.

"Ryo!" yelled Yayoi, pulling him back into the shadows. "You monsters!" she spat, looking at San. She saw Hiei appear beside her, watching the two demon enemies in front of them. Yayoi put the fires out, and began to feed her energy into Ryo. San watched, not knowing what to say or what she should do. "I swear Moriko, I will kill you the next time we meet," she told her in a menacing voice, before quickly disappearing.

"Hn. Sounds like you'll need to watch your back," said Hiei.

San sighed, looking down, "Even then, I'm powerless. Thanks, Hiei, for stopping Ryo."

"I wasn't trying to help you, I just didn't want to listen to the fox complain for the next several decades."

She smiled, "Oh Hiei, must you be so macho all the time?"

"Hn. How the hell did you even let a vampire gain so much control over you in the first place?"

"I had no idea he could do that until this morning. I didn't even think he could, considering it has been centuries since he last feasted on my blood."

"Hn."

"Don't you have any other words in your vocabulary?"

"No. Might want to find the detective, and see if you can save him."

"Yeah, we should go find Yusuke," said San, looking deeper into the woods.

"I never said I would help you."

"Well, as you've probably guessed, I'm not anywhere near full power."

"I was aware when the vampire nearly made you his dinner. Fine, I'll save the trees, and I suppose I can grab Yusuke as well."

"Awe, Hiei, you said his name!" San smiled at him. She was really tired, but her head ache had gone away.

"Hn. You're weak. You should use the last of your strength to find your mate, otherwise you'll be useless to everyone," Hiei told her, grabbing her and then taking off at his demon speed. San sighed, wishing she was more useful. Hiei was right though, she had to find her mate and help herself. And the others back at the apartment! She had forgotten all about them in her rage. But she had used too much of the little energy she had to chase Yayoi, and even if she made it back to Yusuke's apartment, wouldn't be able to help the others. The fact that Hiei had to come to her rescue was clue enough that she shouldn't even be fighting right now. But what choice did she have? She heard a loud noise off in the distance, her ears perking up.

"Hiei, stop!" she told him. He did, picking up on the same thing she was. He jumped with her to the top of a tree, and there they saw it. A fuel tank on a transport truck was crashing through the forest. Sniper, he had stuck a transport on Yusuke. Was that ever ridiculous. San analyzed around the area, looking for the demented human. "Up there," she told Hiei, pointing him out. The demon nodded and then began to run again, only, it wasn't towards Sniper. San smiled, Hiei was going to save Yusuke first, and then go after Sniper. Funny how he always pretended that he didn't care but when it came down to it, he was always there to save them. This was the second time she had seen it in one day. San watched as the truck was closing in on Yusuke, about to smash into him. No matter what, it would cause a devastating explosion. Hiei was too fast though, and he grabbed Yusuke, just in time. The truck collided and exploded, Hiei barely able to make it to the cliff where Sniper was. The smoke would clear soon. Hiei set San down and she struggled to stand. The look she got from him told her that she should sit, and so she did. Yusuke was on the ground, and San finally was able to see Sniper clearly.

...

"I thought we didn't want to storm the cave," said Yana.

"That was before Kuwabara was kidnapped," explained Botan.

"What?"

"We'll give you the recap later," said Genkai, "So did you figure out how to get to this hole in the ground?"

"Of course," answered Kaito, walking up to show Genkai a piece of paper he held in his hands. Kurama moved to have a look as well, "I sketched this by hand, and yes, it is to scale. Now we're here, and this is the entrance to Demon's Door," Kaito showed the red X on the map.

"Yeah, that looks right," confirmed Mitarai.

"And you are?"

"He's on our side, now, anyway. He has inside knowledge of the cave," Kurama told Kaito. In truth, he wasn't the biggest fan of his classmate either, and understood why San held such a grudge against this boy.

"Pleased to meet you," said Mitarai. Yana and Kaito just looked at each other confused.

"Deal with it boys, we need the help, we have no idea what's waiting for us in that cave," Genkai interrupted. Kurama's only hope was that he would find his mate there, and that she wasn't going to be one of his enemies.

...

"Urameshi..." Sniper stood in front of Hiei, Yusuke and San. His purple eyes were in disbelief, he had thought that he had killed the detective with the transport truck. Hiei was too fast for that, even with San's weight. She smirked as she sat on the ground, still too weak to stand. She'd be out cold soon, having no way to feed energy with the sun still up. Her powers and mind were exhausted, and she was separated from her mate, so that made things even harder. But she had to focus, just in case Hiei or Yusuke needed her. The force of the explosion had caused a slight setback for the detective.

"Hiei," Yusuke was finally in focus.

"Don't get sentimental detective," he said in a flat tone. He began to walk towards Sniper, who was holding the gun straight at him. Much good it would do him while facing Hiei.

"I have no quarrel with you stranger, but I also don't mind killing anyone who stands in our way," Sniper told the approaching demon. Hiei ignored him, still stalking up to his enemy. "Last warning." Hiei continued his journey. Sniper cocked the gun and then began to fire. San was definitely out of it, because she couldn't see Hiei's movements like usual. All she saw was a blur, and then Hiei standing in front of Sniper, his sword protruding out of the human's shoulder blades. San gasped.

"Hiei!" Yusuke cried in disbelief.

"What? Now I'm not even aloud to kill the bad humans? Hn. It's a few inches from his heart if that's what you're worried about," said Hiei. San breathed a sigh of relief. Sniper would be out soon, but it seemed as if he was going to still try. He wrapped an arm around Hiei's head, and pointed the gun at Yusuke.

"What's the point..."

"No one can stop our justified cause," said Sniper, his hand shaking as he struggled to aim. Hiei yanked his sword out of Sniper and then the human fell. He wasn't dead, but he would be out for a while.

"You... you saved me..." stated Yusuke. Hiei looked over at the human.

"I was worried about the trees," said Hiei, the same excuse he gave San. He walked over to them, standing tall while they were on the ground. "This wind coming in feels like home. It's comforting and it soothes me. It tastes like freshly spilled blood and the rotting flesh of decaying corpses, wouldn't you agree?" he asked San. She looked down, not missing the smell nor the struggle. "Hn. You're too much of a human now to appreciate it, though I'm sure the demon side of you is happy," his eyes focused somewhere else now, "Look at it, the gateway to Makai will be open soon." San and Yusuke turned to face in the same direction, "Maybe I'll return home..."

"Damnit!" yelled Yusuke, punching a fist into the ground, "I beat Toguro, and after that I assumed that everything else would just be a big old piece of cake. And then some rogue spirit detective has to go and open up the fucking gates of hell!" San could see Yusuke getting more angry with every word. He was now on his feet, which was more than she could do at this point. "And to top it all off, Kuwabara had to get himself kidnapped."

San gasped, "No..." But Yusuke was more focused on something else. She watched as he struggled to walk towards where she assumed the others went with Kuwabara.

"Your'e in no shape to be playing the hero," stated Hiei.

Yusuke stopped in his tracks, "Well if I don't, who will?" he demanded, turning on his heel, "Not you remember? This is our world, not yours? See ya," Yusuke scoffed, attempting to continue on his journey, "I have to go save the world again."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that!" yelled Hiei, swinging his sword. San was really weak, she couldn't even follow his movements like she used to. She was starting to feel light headed as well, and knew that she didn't have the strength to try and find her mate and lead him to her. Hiei's sword was pointed as Yusuke's neck, the human on his knees. San narrowed her eyes, wondering what the apparition was up to. "For the second time today, I hold your life in my hands. Somehow I doubt this Sensui will be as merciful as I."

"Kuwabara needs me."

"Kuwabara was ill prepared for them and look what happened to him."

Yusuke was angry as he stood in front of Hiei, "Shut up!"

Hiei's eyes narrowed, "Do I have to kill you to keep you from being foolish?"

"You just might Hiei."

Although she knew that she should be paying attention to this, her world became black, the strength to stay conscious completely leaving her. Her last thought went out to her mate, hoping that he would find her soon, lest she die for real this time.

...

hey, sorry about the delay, i've been pretty busy.. but i thank all of you for your patience and your reviews :)


	38. Solitary Confinement

Images, many of them were rolling around in the darkness. They were just blurs, hard to decipher between. It made the eyes dizzy and the head full of pain. Finally, everything was completely black. The darkness, something San knew well these days, something she saw quite frequently. There was nothing, just black, and that made her feel at peace. No worries plagued her mind, no pain flooded her veins, not a thing could be felt. Comfortably numb she believed was the term. It would be nice to just dwell in this.. solitary confinement of choice. She breathed a heavy and content breath, relaxing herself. She looked on curiously in front of her, seeing something, no, someone in the distance. It looked painfully familiar, like an old member of her clan. How right she was. A wolf demoness with long and flowing blue tinged black hair stood tall and proudly in front of her. Her father was right, San did have her mothers tawny eyes. San's eyes widened and began to tear. Aiko, her mother stood before her. The images taken from her fathers mind were all perfect, vivid even as San had never met the woman herself.

"Mother?" San questioned. She realized her voice sounded a bit different and she looked down at herself. She was a demon again, back to Moriko, her true form. Aiko stood in front of her daughter, smiling, holding out a hand. Moriko reached for it, but realized that Aiko was not substantial. The woman's tawny eyes looked sad, as she began to fade from sight.

"No!" cried Moriko, running towards her mother, "Don't leave me again!" the demon took off, running towards the figure. But finally, she became apart of the darkness surrounding her, and Aiko could be seen no longer. Moriko stopped in her tracks, looked around frantically for Aiko. It was no use, she wasn't coming back. The young demon dropped to her knees, looking at her hands. How she wished that she could speak with her mother, it was only something she longed to do as a child.

She looked back up and the piercing blue eyes of her father were looking down sadly at her. Moriko stood, facing him. "Father..." she spoke softly. She was surprised to even see him, knowing their history. Moriko's tawny eyes always reminded Taichi of her mother. After Aiko had died it was always hard for Moriko. Taichi never wanted to look at her, barely even spoke with her. No, Moriko was more raised by her aunt, Sumiko. But it wasn't Sumiko who stood before her, it was her father. She hated seeing the sadness in his eyes when he looked at her. She always hated it, it was all she ever saw, until Akatsuki was born. But he was here now, and she hadn't seen him in years. She wished they had gotten along better when they were growing up, that she could speak to him again. But just like Aiko, he didn't speak, and then began to fade. Moriko reached out another hand, pleading that he stay, but he vanished. She was left alone again, thoughts racing all over her mind. Why had her parents showed up?

But she didn't have time to think into it further, because yet another person from her past appeared before her. The old king, Yukito was staring proudly at his adopted daughter. Moriko had tears flowing freely, as she stared at the old man that she had come to love. She remembered the day he decided to adopt her and her brother, after their parents passed. She knew that it would be best for Akatsuki, so she did what ever was in her power to make sure her brother had a better life. This dear old man in front of her was a tremendous help, and she would be forever grateful to him for all of his help and care. She loved him, happy with the time she spent under his ever watchful eye. He smiled at her, before disappearing, like the others. Moriko wiped her eyes, still confused as to why she was seeing all of them. It came as no surprise that Yuriko was next, her adopted sister. The flaxen haired demoness looked on at her sister, happy to see her. Moriko smiled back sadly, happy that she didn't have to once again look upon the beauty destroyed by the plague. Yuriko was gone in seconds, and the wolf wondered who would be next on the past life list.

What she was not expecting was her mate to show up, Youko. His golden eyes always expressing nothing but love for her. She smiled, and he reached out a hand to wipe away her tear. She was shocked that he was actually able to touch her. His touch was soft and gentle, never hostile. Moriko leaned her face into his hand, her tawny eyes sad as she looked into the eyes of her lover. Even the peace of mind of the darkness could never tear her away from her mate. He was what made her whole, and what made everything better. She put her hand on top of his, that was still occupying his face. He turned it over, interlacing his fingers with hers. She felt another tear, on the other side, and he wiped that one away as well, caressing her cheek as he did so. He looked sad, having only seen her cry before once in their lifetime. She was everything to him, and to see her upset pierced his very being.

"Koishii..." he spoke softly in his soothing voice. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly and wrapping his tails around her. Her head was pressed against his chest, the top of it reaching his neck. His head rested neatly on hers, his hand also holding it gently. He kissed her forehead, stroking her tawny hair.

"Ai shiteru," he murmured in her ear, rubbing his nose on it. It twitched and he let out a small chuckle. She sighed happily, moving her head to kiss his neck. She could feel his breath on her forehead, her eyes drooping as she moved her lips to his, brushing them softly. They kissed shortly after, the temptation being too great. It was comforting, as if he were trying to lift her spirits. How she loved this fox that pushed his way into her life. She pulled him closer, deepening the kiss and becoming lost in the moment. The feelings that rose out of her when she was with him were indescribable. The fire of their love, it would never die, never. Her hand moved to be locked away in his silver hair, as his strong arms held her. When they broke apart, she was startled, seeing Youko no more. Instead she was staring into the crimson eyes of Ryo. She took a step back, gasping.

"Do not be frightened, my beloved Moriko," his voice was alluring, and she found herself unable to move. He took a step towards her, brushing her hair out of her face, "Such a beautiful creature..." Moriko could not look anywhere but his eyes. He moved to kiss her again, and she welcomed it. His was more rough, but ever so loving. Her mind was only focused on him, and how much she truly wished she could spend all of eternity with him. What was stopping her? A pull at the back of her mind told her that she should be fighting this demon. Yet, she could not bring herself to do so, feeling and knowing that this was the right course of action. How foolish it was to question such an important thing. This was where she belonged, what felt right. They broke apart from their kiss, and she stared into his eyes once more. "I must leave you now, but fear not, I will be back."

"I'll be waiting for you, my love," she told him, as he began to fade away. She watched him go, a blinding light blocking her view. She shielded her eyes from it, seeing a shadow approaching her. The figure had long hair, and was walking towards her. All previous thoughts vanished, and she smiled, seeing the human form of her mate approaching. He looked worried as he stood over her, putting a hand to her forehead. She could feel her body feeding off of his energy, trying to heal itself while the sun was still out. She was not skilled enough in her powers of darkness to be able to heal that way, but soon she would figure it out. Until then, she had to depend on Kurama for the help, as much as she didn't want to.

"You say she just fainted?" he asked someone curiously.

"Yes, probably because of a power loss. But there is something else. A presence in her mind that has been blocking my attempt to thwart it, and may have also caused her to black out," San heard Hiei speak. Presence in her mind, what was he talking about?

"Do you think it's the vampire?"

Hiei looked away, "I can't be sure, but that would be the safest bet," he told the fox. Kurama just looked at San.

"Kurama," Hiei spoke again, "The vampire has a strong hold on her. She was nearly ready to mate with him when I found her. You better make sure she stays away from him. I noticed she has darkness powers. Interesting, considering she is a demon of the light. That's a rare demon, and your enemies would love to have a psychic like that. Another thing, she can't fully heal with whatever that is trapped inside of her mind. You might want to figure that out to."

"Thank you Hiei."

"Hn. I no longer have to babysit her, so I don't care if she gets taken this time."

"You didn't have to watch her after I killed Karasu. If you didn't care, you would not have saved her that time," her mate looked to the fire apparition slyly.

"Hn."

"Will you two can it? I'm trying to sleep," San mumbled, realizing that her eyes were closed that whole time. She rubbed her eyes, staring tiredly at the green orbs of her mate. He looked relieved, as more of his energy was released into her. The sun was starting to go down, and then her other powers would be at full strength, and she would no longer need his help. "What's going on?" she asked, sitting up and seeing only the two demons with her.

"Hiei and Yusuke were headed to demon's door cave, as were the rest of us. We ran into each other, and Genkai suggested that we move away from the curious eyes and help you. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she lied, moving to stand. While she still had the pain in her head, it felt different then before. It was okay though, because the moon would shine soon, "Shouldn't we rejoin the others then?"

"I wish to speak with you further," he told her seriously. She searched his eyes, wondering what it was that he wanted.

"Okay..." she said confused.

"What happened? Did Ryo find you?"

"Yes. Him and Yayoi are mated, and he used his hold on me. I couldn't fight it, I was so weak. Hiei saved me though, and we put a dent in their ego. They want to kill me now, so I'd say I'm safe."

Kurama hugged her and looked towards Hiei. The small fire demon knew that it wasn't over for her and the vampire, that he would tried to capture her again, "Come, we're running out of time," he spoke to her. She nodded, and followed the two of them to the rest of the party. Kuwabara was not present, which meant that Sensui had retrieved him. She sighed, wishing she was able to protect him. Standing in a circle was Botan, Genkai, Mitarai, Kaito, Yana, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama and San. They waited for Genkai, who was obviously the pack leader on this one to speak.

"Before we pursue, let's go over what we know about our enemy," Kurama was the one to speak. San looked at him, his eyes hard as agates. He was angry about something, probably Ryo. "We know that there were nine of them to begin with. Yusuke took out Doctor."

"And I did away with Sniper," said Hiei. San remembered that, it was only a few hours ago.

"Yes. Nine minus two leaves seven."

"And Mitarai's with us now so that leaves just six," said Botan.

"Three humans, and three demons..." San mused aloud.

"We know they'll head back to demon's door cave, and that's where we'll go to intercept them and retrieve Kuwabara."

"Well, we're down on our asses waiting patiently," said Yusuke.

"Stick a sock in it you impulsive twit. The tunnel opens in two days and your sarcasm won't close it any faster," said Genkai.

"But that's four days earlier then our team is Rekai was estimating," said Botan.

"Yeah, why do they keep moving up the deadline? It's like every day the tunnel's growing faster," said Mitsunari.

"When a psychic tampers with the sort of power like Itsuki has, there's a tendency to be overpowered and lose control," answered Kurama.

"Now that you mention it, he did say it was going faster than he thought. Like the tunnel has a life of its own and wants to grow," said Mitarai.

"Or you can tell how fast its growing just by looking at our fair city. Well... once fair..." said Kaito.

"All the more reason for us to storm the cave now before the gateway can expand any longer, especially now that they have Kuwabara," said Kurama, "If they can use his new found power to cut through dimensions and hire demons, we're done. While I seriously doubt Kuwabara would ever willingly help Sensui-"

"But they don't need him to because they have Gourmet," Mitarai cut in.

"Right. According to Mitarai, they are most likely going to have this 'Gourmet' eat his powers, so that he can then use them to break the kakai barrier."

San gasped, looking horrified.

"I've seen him do it once and it was the most horrific thing I'd ever seen. He consumes their abilities by literally eating them whole while they're still alive."

Botan shrieked in outrage.

"Does he at least put something on them? Mustard, chili?" asked Yusuke. Where would they be without Yusuke's sarcasm?

"No, he just eats them. Once they're inside him, their powers become his. His territory exists entirely within his stomach," finished Mitarai. The wind blew at what seemed perfect timing, bringing with it a scent that San knew all too well. Makai.

"There goes that old familiar wind again," said Hiei, "I think two days is overly optimistic."

"I guess that means its time for me to kick a little ass," said Yusuke.

"Down boy," Genkai spoke. Yusuke looked at her incredulously, "Before you go getting all dimwitted and fist happy, we should send a small group to scout out the cave. Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, San. You'll be the first wave. That way just in case you all get killed while you're down in there, the rest of the world still has a chance of surviving this disaster. We'll be the second line of defense, hang back here, see how it goes."

"Forgive me master Genkai, but shouldn't I go to show them the way? Inside that cave is a maze and I know it better than anyone else here," said Mitarai.

"And why the hell should we trust you?" asked Hiei. Mitarai looked down, thinking.

"Because I'm much more indebted to Kuwabara than anybody." They stood silent for a few moments.

"Urameshi, want me to run a polygraph on him with my copy technique?" asked Mitsunari. Yusuke looked at their former enemy. He then smiled and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You're alright," said Yusuke, "Let's go."

"I won't let you down," assured Mitarai.

"Yusuke," Genkai interrupted, "Recall the last time you walked into something without thinking?"

"Which time was that?" San laughed at the fact that he even had to ask. He took the time to think about it, and that just fueled her laughter more, "Oh you mean when theses guys' crew captured me," he pointed to Kaito and Mitsunari.

"That's right. So looking back, Yusuke, what lessons can we take with us from that experience and hopefully apply this to the next one?"

"Oh, don't get caught. Yeah I'll keep that little pearl of wisdom in mind when I'm kicking Sensui's ass," said Yusuke, walking away with San, Hiei, Mitarai and Kurama. San heard her mentor mutter idiot under her breath at their retreating backs. She smiled, falling in beside her mate. As an afterthought, she reached into her pocket and slipped quite a few lamp weed seeds into his hand, knowing that they may need them. The closer they got towards the cave, the easier it was to smell rotting flesh. She gave a sidelong glance at her mate, knowing that he could smell it as well. He was wearing some old fighting clothes, the green bringing out his eyes. She was still in the clothes from when Genkai had dressed her. How she wished she could bathe first. Her stink would attract enemies pretty easily, like the two demons she knew she had to face in the cave. The opening was huge, and outside stored a truck, parked before a lame fence.

"Well that's definitely the truck they took Kuwabara in," observed Yusuke.

"So this is the entrance to hell. It's drearier than I expected," said Hiei.

"Mitarai, approximately how long should it take, to get to Itsuki?" asked Kurama.

"If we proceed quickly but with caution, it should take us two hours to get there," the youth replied.

"What?" asked Yusuke in disbelief.

"That is... If we don't encounter any problems along the way..."

"Well what are we waiting for?"

"You to stop talking," said Hiei.

"Well let's go, now," and the five of them entered the cave. San could already smell her two former demon friends, as well as Kuwabara and the other human enemies. They were faint compared to the smell of Makai, but at least she knew her nose was working properly. Her head still hurt, but there was too much going on to pay attention. It was bleak, but what else was there to expect from a cave? All of them were on guard, as they came to a fork.

"Which way?" asked Yusuke.

"To the right," answered Mitarai. San noticed that Kurama fished in his pocket for the lamp weeds that she had given him before they entered.

"Spreadin' your seeds Kurama?"

"These are lamp weeds. They will show us the way out, like following phosphorescent bread crumbs," he answered.

"Assuming of course that we live to come back," said Hiei. Kurama just smirked at the short demon and then they continued on their quest. The silent walking really made things even more intense, as twists and turns would have gotten any of them lost. San was sure that she could sniff out the way to go, but it was definitely easier with a guide that knew for sure. Not to mention, she was slower than normal with whatever was wrong with her head. Normally she would be scouting forward, much like she did back in her past life. However, under her mate's watchful eye she would be doing no such thing. If Ryo got his hold on her again, he would probably be the only one that could break it completely. They came to another fork, and Mitarai pointed to the right once more.

"Mitarai, I don't know what we would've done without you here. This place has more forks than one of those fancy table settings," said Yusuke, looking back on all the lamp weeds that were shining brightly in the darkness. San smirked, not wanting to laugh out loud in such a dire situation. "We better hope those lights don't burn out, we won't want to be wandering around here during our mid twenties."

"Don't you worry, I won't let us get lost," Mitarai assured the detective.

"Besides Yusuke, three of us left our twenties behind ages ago," San smiled at him.

Yusuke blinked, "Oh yeah..."

"We should go," Kurama commanded. It didn't sound like a suggestion to San, she knew the difference. There was no objection to that, as they went back onto their quest. The darkness helped her enhance her sense of hearing and smell. Without having to worry much about seeing, she was able to keep a good mental image of a 5 mile radius. Would have been longer if this stupid head pain would just go away.

"We should be coming towards a large cavern. After we pass that, we'll be about halfway there," said Mitarai. Which meant that they were in for at least an hour, and the sun had gone down. Mitarai gasped just then, running forward. San looked on confused. "Hold on!" he stopped them.

"What's the matter?" asked Yusuke.

"You see that door? There isn't supposed to be any doorway there!" declared Mitarai. San narrowed her eyes, having a bad feeling about what was on the other side of that. It looked like a giant wooden door with a G on it. As they approached for a closer look, she could swear she had seen this before. It hadn't been around for long, but images of it were in the back of her mind, just not the proper name for it.

"Perhaps we took a wrong turn?" asked Kurama.

"Impossible, the smell of decay would be decreasing instead of increasing. It's only been getting stronger as we've moved further in," San spoke.

"No, I'm sure of it, we've done everything right," Mitarai confirmed, "This door's a new addition, and I'd be willing to bet that nothing good can be lying behind it."

"That's odd. I know I've seen this door somewhere before, I just can't remember where..." mused Yusuke. He took the time to ponder while the rest of them stared on in wonder, "Come on, give me a break. I've seen it recently so it can't be the school gate..." He thought out loud to the rest of them, "Why can't I figure this one out? Where the hell have I seen this damn door?" San was also wondering the same thing. It did look so familiar.

"Welcome to Goblin City, where your team of seven heroes must clash iron with the evil Goblin King, and restore peace to the town," said the automated voice. That was it. San had seen Genkai and Kurama playing this game before.

"That's peculiar," stated Kurama.

"Oh yeah of course! I've seen it a million times. That's the gate to Goblin City!" exclaimed Yusuke.

"Goblin City?" questioned Hiei.

"A popular arcade game," said Kurama.

"It's not just any video game, its THE video game. You've got to kill the Goblin King who's like the master of every game. But what's so sweet about it is that it combines all the different kinds of games into one. Sports, fighting, trivia, puzzles and so on. The King challenges you to different games at random, and you've got to beat him at four out of seven to free Goblin City. Of course that doesn't explain why it's come to life in a cave," explained Yusuke.

"Amanuma, he is the game master," said Mitarai.

"Welcome to my territory," said the voice of a child. Why would there be a child working for those delinquents? Those monsters.

"Oh yeah, that's him alright."

"The rules of the game are the rules of my territory. And the rules of my territory are the rules of the game."

"If his territory's the game, then we can't even enter the door unless we fit into the game somehow. And unfortunately we have to get in there if we want to get to where Itsuki is and save Mr. Kuwabara from Gourmet."

"Does fitting in mean we have to dress up like medieval knights? Cause I left my breast shield in my closet," said Yusuke.

"I can't see how many players are out there, but your team must have seven heroes to clash iron with me," said Amanuma.

"We got enough to beat you four times out of seven!" yelled Yusuke.

"The rules say seven!"

"We have no choice but to follow every guideline. That's the only way we're going to get through that door," said Mitarai.

"Yes, it doesn't seem he's going to be very flexible with the rule that we be a party of seven," said Kurama.

"Seven! There must be seven heroes to clash iron with me!" Amanuma's voice spoke once more.

"They must have guessed that we'd be cautious and enter as a small group at first, and designed this to get us all in together," said Kurama.

"I'll just follow your light thingys and get three more from the outside," said Yusuke.

"It's too dangerous for you to go alone. We lose precious time, but it's not as though we can move any further."

Yusuke sighed, "Crap."

San agreed with him. She caught the scent of Yayoi nearby on their journey back to the entrance of the cave. She kept her ears open, wondering what the demon was up to. She glanced at her mate, but he seemed to be focused on the matter at hand. He wouldn't be happy if she took off again in a fit on blind rage like earlier that day, knowing that she was led straight to Ryo. No one would be able to save her this time, so she would wait for the other demon to make a move. Yayoi had great speed, it was very possible that she was just a scout, but she also had a vendetta against San as a result of their last meeting. The entrance of the cave could be seen, it was night time, and San began to feed her energy, her powers of darkness off of the moon.

...

bet you guys weren't expecting this any time soon right? lol thanks for being so patient, and please review! :)


	39. Blissful Ignorance

"We're seven, now where do we stick the quarter?" asked Yusuke. The five of them, Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, Mitarai and San, had gone back to retrieve the others. Botan was left behind, having no business in fighting when she couldn't fight herself. Besides, someone had to wait for Koenma, wherever he went.

The music so familiar to San sounded after Yusuke's declaration, and the doors to "Goblin City" began to open. They waited patiently, then cautiously entered. The room was tiled, as if they'd stepped into a building. There was a large screen on the wall, as well as two stands with controls. Over to the right was the chair in which their enemy sat. Further on there was a slot machine with an illusion goblin standing beside it. San still could not believe this turn of events. Despite the careful planning of splitting the team in two, the enemy was still one step ahead of them.

"Well, we're not in Mushiyori anymore," stated Yusuke.

"You're in my territory now," said a child's voice. Amanuma, was just a small boy. Still, there should be no reason for them to underestimate him. His skills as a psychic obviously made him dangerous. So much so that Sensui had recruited the lad. He was no more than just a pup, and San feared that the others would try to act on that. "Sure took you long enough to find seven people. Sheesh, even I've got six friends."

"You're telling me that... _that's_ the Game Master? But he's just a little pipsqueak," said Yusuke. There it was, the underestimation that could be their downfall.

"I may be small, but when it comes to video games, my talent's huge. So let's play shall we?"

Mitsunari looked over at Yusuke, "So Urameshi, how do you play this thing again?"

"You really don't know jack shit about what normal people do huh? You see that big slot machine looking thing over there? That picks the category, game type, and difficulty level," Yusuke explained, pointing over to the slot machine and goblin.

"It's teamwork. Each of us seven heroes may play one game only. We must win four games to beat the Goblin King," Kurama finished for the detective.

"Who is played by me," Amanuma intervened. San wasn't sure that this child really understood the impact losing would have on him. It was monstrous, and she remembered the vision she had of Kurama and this child. "Now stop dawdling so I can finally pull the lever and we can play."

"Chill out kid! Give us a minute!" replied Yusuke.

"But I don't want to give you a minute. This is my territory, and if I say I want to play now, we play now."

"I'm really beginning to hate this kid..."

"I always thought that if the Goblin King was just a kid, it would be this way," said Kaito.

"Never mind him, we need to develop a strategy," said Kurama. Where would they be without him she wondered. Despite the seriousness of this course of events, San couldn't help but admire him while his brain worked. "Now who among us has played Goblin City before?"

"Oh! I have! All the time!" Yusuke jumped on that one. Though that should have been obvious when he was the one to identify the door and explain the rules in the first place.

"I have as well," said Kaito, but that was no surprise either. Lonely nerds had nothing but their computers.

"I've played from time to time too," said Mitarai.

"Excellent. That's four of us including myself," said Kurama.

"Make that five," Genkai put in. San was wondering why she hadn't said anything. Her mentor did have a thing for dramatics, because no one believed that she was telling the truth.

"Uh, we're not talking about pong here grandma," said Yusuke. Idiot.

Genkai smirked, "You think I've been playing solitaire the past 50 years?"

"Alright. So out of all of us here, who has actually beaten the game?" asked Kurama. San loved when he was up to something.

"Well to tell you the truth, I'm kinda of hung up in the middle somewhere," answered Yusuke.

"I've only gotten to the ending just a couple of times," said Genkai. Yusuke looked surprised at that one.

"You've really gotten that far grandma?"

"On my home system, I can win 76% of the time," said Kaito. Then he gave a sidelong glance over to her mate, "But I'm sure that's no comparison to the success rate of the great Shuuichi, is it?" San wished she could growl at the fool.

"No, that's about my skill level," said Kurama.

"Damn. I really did set the game's record for suckiest," said Yusuke.

"Still, those scores were all against the real Goblin King. The Game Master must be an even stronger player," Kurama conceded.

"Or else why would he have chosen this game to recreate in his territory?" never to be outdone Kaito was.

"Exactly, but before we even challenge the Goblin King, we must defeat three lower goblins."

"BORING! I'm spinning the slots and you can't stop me!" the young "king" declared.

"That's just fine. Master Genkai, Mitarai, and Yusuke, you're group will take on the three lower goblins. Then after you've done that, Kaito and I will face Game Master."

"Well it's about time. Pull the lever!" Amanuma commanded. The goblin standing beside the slot machine pulled it and they waited. The anticipation was great. Finally, it showed some results. "Sports. Tennis. Level seven. Which one of you is up for a round of tennis?"

"Oh perfect, tennis is my specialty. Please, I've got this one," said Mitarai.

"Help yourself," Yusuke told him.

The image of a goblin appeared before them. It was rather foolish looking, but San didn't really care much for illusions, so she wisely chose to ignore its exterior.

"You're all familiar with the sports goblin, so I'm sure you already know that the skill of the goblin is equal to the level on the game selected, making this one a level seven. Will you stop looking so unhappy? We're about to have a lot of fun!" Mitarai stepped up to the plate, by which the stand that had controls. "No hello for an old friend? No but seriously, long time no Seaman. Get it? Seaman? It's a pun 'cause of your name." As if everyone was so stupid to not understand that. "I see you haven't lost your sense of humour. So what's the deal? Have you really jumped ship, or are you just playing both sides? 'Cause you, know, that's what I'd be doing if I was you. And even if you aren't, it's never too late to start."

"I'm on their side for real," said Mitarai.

"You do know... They'll never trust you."

Typical evil side trying to play on people's insecurities. They waited, the screen in front of them going through introductory measures of the game. Finally, there was the foolish creature on the screen. The imagination of this boy was quite amazing. The image of a tennis court on screen expanded off of it, engulfing the whole area in front of the stand where Mitarai stood. Then, Mitarai, dressed in tennis attire was standing in front of himself, waiting for the game to begin. The image was so substantial that it gave the term virtual reality a definition. The "Goblin King" was sitting at the side, judging the game. San could not believe the limitations that a child's mind could work, even on something that was already created in the first place.

"What an amazing thing..." she breathed, ignoring the look Hiei, Kurama, Yusuke, and Genkai gave her. The game began shortly after that, and Mitarai had gotten a point. But Amanuma didn't want them to win, so he slowly began to taunt Mitarai.

"He told me about how you always got picked last in gym class and how all you're life you've been labelled an outsider and excluded by all of your peers," Mitarai played on, as if he was oblivious to the child's words, "It was the same for me. Always picked on and looked at like I was some kind of freak. Alienated by kids my own age and look down upon by everyone else." Mitarai continued to play on, and San hoped his ears were deaf to the "Goblin King"'s words. "But Mr. Sensui says I was left out because I was superior to them. Well you were just excluded because you were just too weak."

"How the hell's he supposed to concentrate when that little bitch won't shut up?" demanded Yusuke.

"That's precisely what the real Goblin King does to distract you. If you've ever made it past the intro, you'd know that," Kaito said a bit to smugly. They continued to watch. San found it a trifle boring, but knew that she had to pay attention. Mitarai was winning, and San could see it was making Amanuma just a little nervous.

"Mr. Sensui said that you were the weak link from the start. Do your new pals know what a disloyal coward you are?" San growled a bit. Even if the real Goblin King was supposed to taunt you, this child knew exactly how to get under Mitarai's skin, and that made him very dangerous.

"Steady," Kurama told her in a hushed tone, taking her hand in his. The warm sensation from it calmed her, but she could still feel her uncontrolled powers of dark wanting to unleash themselves.

Mitarai played on. There was just one more game left, and he managed to win. It was finally over, and San let out a breath that she didn't know she had contained. The holographic image dissolved and everything was back in place.

"Yes! You are the man Mitarai!" said Yusuke. Seaman began to walk away, but he stopped, looking at the child.

"Amanuma, Mr. Sensui was right about one thing he said. I was weak in that I lacked the courage to accept responsibility for my unhappiness. It was because of that weakness that I bought into Sensui's mission. Blaming the world is the coward's way out. But I'm no weak link, it was ultimately my inner strength that allowed me to break free of the chain," Mitarai told him. The Goblin King didn't look too happy about that artful little speech. The slot machine rolled again, and the next game was underway. Turns out it was Genkai's turn to play.

"A classic flight shooter. I could clear out this game with one hand stuck in a vice. I'm calling this one!" said Genkai.

"Please take care Genkai," said Kurama.

"Yeah, show us your skills, old lady," said Yusuke.

Genkai walked up to the stand, and it turned into a helicopter. Even the wind from the blades felt real to San. It wasn't even really a match. Genkai used excellent pilot skills to blow her enemies away. San wasn't that surprised however, she had seen her mentor excel at this game before.

"That's incredible! She cleared out the first level without a single mistake!" said Kaito. Even the child was thoroughly impressed with Genkai's game play. It was over quite quickly. Genkai won and she was even graceful enough about her gloating. San smiled.

"Hey! You're really good for an old nobody!" said Amanuma.

"You always this cheerful when someone kicks your ass?" asked Yusuke.

"Oh, you betchya! Especially when you've just wasted your most talented player on the easiest game I've got here."

"Take your dunce horns and put yourself in time out!"

Idiot. But at least he would prove himself useful now. The slot machine rolled again, and it was Yusuke's turn to impress everyone. It was a fighting game, which suited the detective perfectly.

"Wouldn't you know it's a fighting game when my turn comes up. I'm feeling lucky old lady, quit fortune tapping on my elbow."

"That was me telling you not to be stupid," replied Genkai.

"Hey, its me."

As if that made them worry any less about stupidity. Amanuma was laughing, although San wasn't sure that anyone was paying attention. Yusuke proved to be an idiot, losing a life right at the beginning. It's not like it was hard, even San knew that hitting the targets was obviously a good way to start. Genkai had to basically dictate Yusuke through the level. It looked as if he was going to lose, but then he took a power up and swelled into immensity. He won shortly after that. Apparently in this game, bigger was better, and lucky for Yusuke, he didn't have much brain to lose. He walked back to the others, and that's when the child got off his seat.

"A.I is so disappointing. But that just means its the Goblin King's turn!" declared Amanuma.

Kaito sighed, "It'd be much more authentic if he'd kept the robe on."

"He's so eager..." trailed Mitarai.

"Yes. The first three rounds were necessary to follow the games script. But this is what he's been waiting for," said Kurama. Then, he stepped up to the Rekai Tantei, his hand still attached to his mate's, "Yusuke, you'll need a plan B. If the Game Master is equal in skill to the Goblin King in the game, it is most likely that Kaito or I will defeat him, while most likely the group is to move on. But I fear this child is far superior to even the computer's highest difficulty. Why else would he choose this specific game to bring to life?"

"Yeah, unless he's got some fetish for losing, that's a pretty good point," Yusuke agreed.

"So, incase Kaito and I don't make it. You need to start looking for another way out of this territory, outside of the game."

"Incase you don't.."

Kurama nodded. It seems that San was quick to think that all of the would underestimate this pup. She squeezed his hand, hoping that he would understand her gesture. His look of determination spoke volumes about the mental preparation he was going through. San wasn't sure if anyone else had picked up on these things, but they were to subtle it was hard to notice them without years of being around him.

"I hope its an action stage, I want to beat you with style," said Amanuma, pulling the lever on the slot machine. "Awe son of a bitch! Not the master quiz game, this is like, my least favourite game of them all!" the child declared in outrage. San wasn't so easily fooled, however, and she was sure her mate wasn't either.

"Good news for the good guys!" said Yusuke.

"I trust you'll let me play," said Kaito, stepping forward and eyeing down Kurama.

"Please," Kurama agreed.

"You better play it smart, Kaito, Kurama thinks this kids pretty dangerous," said Yusuke. Kaito made no indication that he'd heard him. Amanuma was laughing as he approached the second stand, beside his opponent. Kurama watched intently.

"He just said this was his least favourite game. Yet he's still happy and at ease," Kurama's suspicions were along the same lines as San's. She approved of that, except the part where he let go of her hand and walked over to Seaman. "Now Mitarai. What can you tell me about the workings of the Game Master's power?"

"I don't know, I never saw him practicing it really. I just know he can bring games to life. I don't think he's used his power much. Mr. Sensuis didn't really want him to," replied Mitarai.

"Good luck shake?" asked Amanuma of Kaito. He did seem way too happy.

"Don't spoil the part, the real Goblin King wouldn't ask for a handshake," said Kaito.

"Yeah, yeah, spoil the part. You just spoiled the fun. This is a multiple choice quiz where you buzz in to answer. Each right answer gets a point and the first one to ten wins. If you answer something wrong, you won't lose points, but if you make three mistakes, you're disqualified."

"I know."

"May the smartest brain win the game."

And then the game begun. San wasn't sure what to think of this, but she watched, knowing that the more time this took, the more power she was able to store up incase something were to go wrong. She had a feeling her mate could sense it, and was planning on using her as back up if need be. Kaito had his hands on the controls, ready, but Amanuma just stood there, looking as if he were waiting patiently.

"Lose your nerve Goblin King?"

"You can have some free ones. First five questions. I'll just stand back and let you get the points, if you even know the answers," Amanuma said a little too smugly.

"That's generous, I think I may know a few," said Kaito. What an idiot. For a genius, he was sure clueless enough to walk right into that trap. Although San didn't know what this boy had planned, it was obvious that he was up to something with the way he was giving up half the points right off the hop. Her mate seemed to pick up on it as well. The question began to pour out, and after two words were said, Kaito pushed the button indicating that he was ready to answer. That was sure a shock. He clicked on an answer, and it was the correct one. San began to have second thoughts at that point.

"But he just heard the first word of the question, that's why I failed sixth grade science..." Yusuke mused to no one in particular.

"Well mine wasn't an act of ignorance. There are a total of 17,000 questions in the battle quiz data base. Of those, only three begin with 'in the a m a', which, if allowed to finish would've spelled 'amazon'. The answers are always lettered the same, and the answer is always C."

"You've memorized 17,000 questions and answers? That's a lot of game play pal, no wonder you never answer your phone..." said Mitsunari.

"He's a video game expert, you should see how smooth he is with the ladies," said Yusuke. San chuckled lightly to herself. The first question was repeated to them.

"I don't need a handicap," said Kaito.

"Concentrate, question two is starting," said the Goblin King. Kaito showed his skill better as the questions progressed. The first five were easily won, Amanuma keeping his promise to let his challenger have the first five. Now they would see the subterfuge in that, hopefully not though.

"Alright. Five more and its over," said Yusuke. San wished she could be that optimistic. Her keen sense of training disabled that from her.

"Killer job Kaito. I didn't even know the answers when I got to read the whole question," said Mitsunari.

"Notice how intensely Amanuma's watching the questions on the monitor. I have to wonder if this is a handicap after all..." said Kurama. San was happy that someone looked at things the way she did.

"Kaito is too good, that's just a deer in front of the video game headlights look," said Yusuke.

"You're wrong, Yusuke. Get a good look at the boys eyes," said Genkai. Maybe she shouldn't think about these things too soon and have a little faith in others, "He's fearless. Still confident of victory."

"But how come? Kaito's answering right at the start of the question. How could anyone be faster?" asked Mitarai.

"Yeah, unless they could stop time," added Yana.

"Got it!" Amanuma declared firmly, "Ready to play. Yeah! With a come from behind victory!"

"A little arrogant, don't you agree 'King'? Considering you haven't answered a question yet. What have you been doing? Gauging my skill?" Kaito taunted.

"I've known dorks like you. Guys who think they're better at games than me just cause they're older. Well for your info, what I've been looking at has nothing to do with you," said the Game Master, sticking his tongue out at Kaito. The look the nerd returned was slightly questioning. Amanuma was ready, "After this next one, you'll know what I mean." The question began, but the child had simply pushed the button _before _the question had uttered a sound. There was one word, and then the answers to choose from were blank. San narrowed her eyes.

"You realize what Amanuma's done now. If a player presses his button before the question begins, he will not be allowed to see the answer choices," explained Kurama.

"So he's just going guess A through D? But that's my trick..." mused Yusuke.

"I don't believe it! He can't win off hunches!" declared Mitsunari.

"Question number six. This is an awesome one. In the year 2000 a group of respected scientists predicted an asteroid would crash into the Earth. What was the asteroids name? The answer is B," said Amanuma confidently. He used his buttons to pick his answer. It was correct. San wasn't very shocked, and neither was her mate.

"That's no hunch," said Yana.

"Yeah either he's got the world's longest cheat sheet hidden somewhere or he's memorized that whole damn question," said Yusuke.

"But how'd he know it'd be that one?"

"Well we already know he's a smart psychic. Maybe he can see into a video games future."

"I believe the answer is more down to Earth. Not only has he memorized the questions like Kaito, he's memorized their order," said Kurama.

"What an amazing thing..."

Kaito threw his hands onto the stage in anger, "Impossible! No one can ever memorize the order in this game! They're supposed to be asked at random!"

"Not exactly Mr. Know-it-all. It looks random, but it actually goes by a pretty complicated formula. It takes me the first five questions to figure out what track its on. But, now that I've got it down, I'll be impossible to beat!" declared Amanuma. At least now they knew what his elaborate plan was. The game continued on, the Game Master gaining another point. Kaito seemed frozen in place.

"Kaito's given up all hope. He's sure that he'll lose this way," stated Genkai.

"Sadly, he's right," agreed Kurama. Hiei stepped forward at that point.

"Hey Hiei, where are you going, this isn't tag team," asked Yusuke.

The small demon stopped, looking over his shoulder at Yusuke, "I'm going to turn this thing off."

"Oh? And how? Do you see a power strip somewhere?"

"Please, don't try anything reckless. We're inside Amanuma's territory so, every action we're allowed to take is dictated by the rules he's set and he's allowed to punish us for doing it wrong," cautioned Mitarai.

"Yeah man, it's just going to be repeat of when you tried to hit Kaito in the house," Yana reminded him. San concealed the smile she had at the memory. Purple soul indeed.

Hiei scoffed at them, however, "Then at least I'll know I've tried." He unsheathed his sword and used his demon speed to cut the monitor in half. It exploded, leaving a puff of smoke in the way of it.

"Nice one!" complimented Yusuke. Hiei's face was of indifference. That is, it was until he realized nothing had really happened. The game was still progressing, Hiei and his sword completely ignored.

"Not even a flinch..." said Kurama.

"We knew as much. You and Hiei should be study partners, Yusuke," said Genkai. How perfect that would've been.

"Shut up," grumbled Yusuke. San laughed.

"I don't see what's so funny. You failed to rub off some of that supposed ancient intelligence of yours."

"Ouch..." she trailed.

"Could you guys try and not be so noisy? I'm trying to enjoy my big triumph here!" Amanuma threw over his shoulder.

"I think this kid's far too young to have any control over us," said Genkai.

"Yeah. He's probably still doing the velcro shoe thing," Yusuke mused. San was sure that was supposed to be an insult, but she didn't quite understand it.

"It certainly seems that the only way to beat him is through the clearing of the game," said Kurama.

"What's velcro?" San asked then.

Yana laughed, "Is she for real?"

"Never mind," Kurama said in a tone meant only for her. He may have been talking to Yana as well, but San knew that he was bluntly telling her to let the matter drop. It was a command, and although he wasn't pack leader, he still had some control over her in the sense that he was her mate.

The next question came, and this time, Kaito had pushed the button as early as possible. That surprised San, and she forgot all this notion about velcro.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Amanuma, "You don't know the questions like I do, you'll just be making random guesses."

"I'll have a 25% chance of victory. That's much better than letting you win," Kaito responded. What was it about this guy that had to make sure he had his exact numbers in his answer? Was he so insecure that he had to flaunt his "genius" over everyone else? Turned out that his plan didn't work out too well, since he picked the wrong answer. San had this inevitable feeling that it was going to come down to her mate. Her vision _might_ have a small part in that believe, but who could really tell with this things anyway? It went pretty fast, since it was two in a row that Kaito lost. That meant that the Goblin King had defeated him.

"There's nothing that I hate more than the pain of defeat. But it's all my fault for not noticing that pattern..." said Kaito.

"Come on, don't be so hard on yourself. You played a good round and it was fun. Maybe we can play a game you're better at later on, we'll have time."

San gasped quietly. This child was an innocent. He didn't have any idea that if he was defeated, then he would surely die. Kurama looked at her sharply, and she knew that he had figured that out before she had.

"Wow, he's crazy good," said Mitsunari.

"As far as gaming goes, that makes Kurama our last hope. You know I haven't been too worried since we won the first three games so easily, but what happens if we lose Goblin City in this kid's territory? Arcade's do get pretty creative with their death scenes..." Yusuke ranted.

"Sorry about the loss. But really, the game wasn't as disturbing was what happened just now. There's something strange about that kid. He acted... chummy. Does he even realize what he's involved in?" said Kaito as he approached the rest of the party.

"Think, Kaito. Do you feel any different physically?" asked Kurama.

"No. That's partly what seems to strange, I thought he'd take my soul for losing in his territory, but I almost feel better."

"Yes, that would fit the pattern."

"Alright, I'm going to start charging you money for being vague," said Yusuke.

"It's the way of the wolves to be cryptic, Yusuke," San told him.

"But he's a fox."

"He's mated to a wolf, it has a peculiar impact on him. Especially since we've been mated for nearly two millennia. Besides, foxes are also sly."

"Anyway, I now suspect that even if we failed every game, none of us would lose our lives. Not as long as we keep playing," Kurama put a stop to that particular conversation. Now wasn't the time for this, San did agree.

"Yeah, but I'm sure you die in the video game," objected Yusuke.

"Yes, but only when you're finished completely. When you fail in Goblin City, you're given the choice to either give up or continue, paying more quarters in the arcade version or pressing start at home. As long as you choose to continue, you can begin again without going through the introductory sequence. But if you give up, the words 'The End' appear in red on the screen, above the graves of your fallen heroes."

"You mean unless we beat this kid at the game that's probably been his babysitter most of his life, we'll have to keep playing and playing if we want to live? But we don't have time for that."

"That is precisely our enemy's point, to trap us inside this territory until the tunnel to Makai can be completed. It's not a matter of fighting for our lives here, but for our time."

"Pretty smart," said Amunuma as he pulled the lever on that accursed slot machine again, "You figured out Sensui's awesome plan. I'm going to let you out of the game as soon as they're done digging. So come on, we still have a few hours to have fun!"


	40. Impossible Choices

"You've got to be the stupidest, most immature brat that ever lived. And that means a lot coming from me, you're stupid games are going to get us all killed!" said Yusuke. At least it was now ultimately understood between the pack that the boy would die if he were defeated. At least, San hoped so.

"Nah, once the tunnel is done, I'll throw the game and lose. Then you'll all be free to go," said Amanuma in an off hand manner. That just made things worse. The pup had no idea that if he lost, he would die. She looked over at her mate, who most likely had caught onto this himself. He was no fool, and San wasn't sure that any of them realized just how much his intelligence got them through. If he were to be unable to use his mind with the distraction of this child's death, what would the outcome be? His green orbs remained calm, possibly preparing for what they both knew could happen in the next little bit.

"Yeah, and what are we going to be free to go to if the whole world's turned into a demon parking lot? We've got to find another way out of this," said Yusuke.

"It's no use. I tried, and look what good that did us," Hiei intervened, "We're in the child's territory, and just as it was with Kaito in that ugly mansion, we're bound to the rules he's set, no matter how ridiculous," and with that, he began to walk away.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"I know as much of games as I do of hugs and puppies, and care for them even less. Wake me before the end of the world," declared Hiei, sitting against the wall and appeared to be sleeping instantly.

"Kurama is there any way you could whoop this kids ass?"

"Actually," Kurama hesitated. He _never_ did that, which meant that he knew, "I'm more afraid of defeating Amanuma than I am of not."

"Want to translate that?"

"As Hiei said, he's made it so that everybody in this territory are to follow the laws of the game. Thus, our fate is the same of the challenger in the arcade. As long as we choose to continue, we can go on indefinitely. If we quit, our lives are over. However, as Kaito demonstrated, Amanuma is not immune to his own territories logic. I'm afraid this young boy is naive when it comes to the dire consequences of his own power. If he loses, he too must follow his game's counterpart's fate."

"Alright, the game is three-seven," said Amanuma, "There's only three of you left, and one of you's actually sleeping. Not that I couldn't beat you at three-seven in my sleep."

"I'll do what's best," Kurama sighed. San grabbed his wrist first, seeing momentarily the flicker of anguish. He was anticipating this, knowing that he would ultimately have to do it. She wished that she could help him, but their enemy had given them an impossible choice. She kissed him softly, trying to show him the support she'd give him after all of this. He walked away, the ghost of his lips faintly on hers.

"Pardon my ignorance, but what does three-seven mean?" asked Mitsunari.

"It's a test of your physical reasoning, mathematical prowness and hand dexterity. It's fun. Various combinations of the numbers zero to seven drop, and you must arrange them so that the sum of three numbers vertically or horizontally is equal to seven, eliminating those blocks. You can also get rid of blocks by, as the title suggests, lining up three sevens in a row. The object of the game is to clear as many blocks as possible which becomes increasingly difficult as they fall at faster speeds. If the blocks fill up all the way to the top, you lose," Kaito explained.

"How in the hell did you manage to get that all out in one breath?" asked San.

"I got a migraine just from listening to the instructions," said Mitsunari.

"Yes, it can be quite the frustrating brain buster. Once, I played for 36 hours straight without sleep trying to best my own high score," Kaito boasted.

"36 hours?" questioned Yusuke in disbelief.

"Uh yeah. Everyone needs a hobby."

"I think you took that a little too far to the extremes," San murmured. Their attention however, was turned to her mate, who was approaching the stand with the controls. He was reluctant, San knew, but they both knew that it had to be done.

"Listen, Amanuma. I have something I need to ask you," Kurama said as he stood in front of his controls.

"What is it?" the boy asked, still acting like the cock of the walk.

"Did Sensui specifically ask you to challenge us at Goblin City?"

"What's it to you? Yeah Mr. Sensui likes this game and thought it'd keep you guys busy. I said I didn't care cause I'm good at 'em all."

"I need to know. Do you understand what Sensui plans to do?"

"Of course I do. He'll let a bunch of demons out their hole so they can wreak havoc and mess with everyone. I thought it'd be fun, plus, no school for a while. Sweet. I think the best part is while all those dumb people are running and screaming, I'll be safe in my territory, playing games without homework or parents."

"Didn't Sensui tell you that you won't be around that long?"

"Huh?"

"You'll die if you lose," Kurama stated bluntly. San could feel a strange kind of pain emanating from him. It was emotional, not physical, and she looked down at the boy facing her mate in astonishment.

"What?" exclaimed Yusuke.

"Is that true?" asked Mitsunari.

"What do you think? Does it still sound fun?" asked Kurama.

"Ha! You almost had me for a sec, but I'm not that gullible. He told me you'd try something like this," said Amanuma. Delusions are not good for the mind of any creature.

"Because he's counting on us to figure it out. Now I'm sure you've made it to the game's end more times than I."

"The end of the game...?"

"When you beat the game, they vividly depict the Goblin King's death. It's an ending very specific to this game. You two must follow this game counter part's fate. Of course, Sensui never wanted you to practice your power playing Goblin City inside your territory did he?"

"But how could you possibly know that? NO! I couldn't play this because I didn't have seven people to play with! Besides, it's not like I've died in other games."

"But you have never tested your powers in manifesting any games of this type, have you Amanuma? Where you take the role of a villain who explicitly dies at the game's conclusion. Is that correct?"

"I don't know. Yes."

"Surely, Sensui gave you some reason for avoiding them."

"Well..."

San knew what Kurama was up to. Just telling the pup that he was going to die if he was beaten was obviously a waste of breath. Kurama was carefully manipulating him to come to the conclusion on his own, avoiding the skeptical doubts that were implanted from the beginning. They were the enemy, so whatever they had to say was a lie. That was something that would be easy to try and place into the mind of a young boy, but it was always easy for a little one to see their mistake. This time however, that mistake proved to be a fatal one, and San was sure that had there been another choice, her mate would've taken it.

"Wait a second," Yusuke broke the tense silence that surrounded them, "So Sensui's putting his own men on the chopping block just to stall us for a couple of hours while he digs a hole? I got to tell you, between you and Mitarai, Sensui's not big on the whole building company loyalty, is he?" Trust Yusuke to insert ridiculous statements to important moments.

"A man like Sensui..." Kurama began. She narrowed her eyes, smelling his blood and feeling slight pain in her palms, "...has no other loyalty except to himself and his cause. And he cares nothing for how much blood is shed to reach that goal. Not even the blood of an ignorant young boy who foolishly chose wrong over right."

There was no way to make a response, the game had started. San noticed that a lot of the confidence had left their young enemy.

"You can go ahead and call me a dimwit, but, let me just ask the stupid questions. If Kurama's got his all figured out, why'd he tell the Game Master instead of keeping it to himself? And why'd he wait until it was too late to stop the round?" asked Yusuke.

"Sensui had a strategic reason for not telling Amanuma that he would die in real life if he died in the game. Young people are stupid about life and death. They think they're invicible. Too young to die to they're not consumed with the fear of it. That's why armies recruit teenagers. That's why Koenma recruited you," Genkai answered.

"Man, I resent that, I know I can die because I've done it once and lived to tell about it."

"I don't have time to show how you've proved my point."

"Sensui made sure that the child wasn't going to think about the possibility of dying. He wanted us to figure it out, so that it would consume our minds, and make our decision to go further a hell of a lot harder," San added.

"It fits into Sensui's pattern. Pushing us to our limits, seeing if we'll justify the kill."

"Well we won't... will we?" asked Yusuke.

"Kurama has, that's why he told the boy the truth. To make him weak. It's a dirty trick, but Kurama knows what he must do."

"Even so, he's not really willing to do it. But when you live your life in a pack, you must do all that you can to protect it. When one can no longer perform the duty applied, it is left behind while the rest move on. In this case, one life for billions. The child is innocent, and we don't believe in killing innocents, unless absolutely necessary," San told him gravely. Her eyes hadn't left her mate, as the pain building up was becoming more unbearable.

"San! That's inhuman!"

"I know, it's the way of the wolves."

The game continued on. The thoughts that enslaved Amanuma by Kurama's words were now causing him to make mistakes.

"Man, he just missed a pretty easy triple seven," Yusuke noted.

"Shuuichi's under his skill," said Kaito.

The Goblin King became more nervous as time wore on. San could see the boy begin to tremble lightly, and the pressure was becoming more intense as the minutes rolled by. She felt an aching in her chest, knowing how the parents were going to feel when they found out their child was with them no more. But she couldn't show weakness. She had to steel herself. Her unblinking tawny eyes fixed on her mate, she was wondering what kind of preparations-if any-he was going through.

"Now I'm not up on this game's strategy, but that's the opposite of it, right?" asked Mitsunari as he watched the fumbling enemy.

"Yeah that's bad," confirmed Yusuke.

"The Goblin King's distracted himself," Kaito noted.

It wore on. Amanuma was making more mistakes, his sudden realization of reality weighing heavily on him know. It was cold thing that Kurama had done, and had he not been her mate, she would've made sure he suffered for his choice. But then, that was the human side of her. The wolf in her said that it was acting on what was the best decision for the rest of the pack. The Goblin Kiing continued to falter, and finally, he conceded that it was time to accept the truth.

"Please, is there anything I can do to get out of this?" he asked her mate, making yet another mistake. "Anything?" he pleaded.

"Is there not a way to shut down this territory and void your power?" asked Kurama.

"No, I've tried that. It's impossible to shut it down while the game's still in progress. Unless you choke at this game, there's no way out."

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen," the harshness of his voice told San that he had already steeled himself from the outside. Internally, he was writhing in agony, and she could feel every ounce of it, "This isn't about choosing one life over another. You know what Sensui's going to do. I can't say you aren't responsible for your fate."

"But I didn't mean for this stuff to really happen," the pup was crying now. Distracted and frozen in fear, he began to lose drastically. He didn't want to die. San knew this because he screamed it twice. And then it was over... His screen filled up with blocks, indicating that he was the loser. San choked on her breath. Kurama stood, unable to move it looked like. "Goblin City" was no more, and it exploded, the illusion vanishing in smoke. San stood her ground, until she could see her mate once more. She walked up to him slowly, as the others were recovering.

"Anybody else feel that or was it just me?" asked Yusuke. It took him a moment, "Where did Goblin City go?"

"When Amanuma died, his territory went with him," Genkai stated simply, walking away. San could hear her approaching footsteps, but she was more focused on her mate.

"These territory things are messed up."

"This is where your Goblin City went," said Genkai, observing the game console on the ground beside Kurama and San. She was behind her mate, on the left side of him. His head was downcast, and he still hadn't moved yet.

"His power must have been very great indeed for him to create such an elaborate illusion out of nothing," said Kaito, telling San that the others were proceeding towards her.

"Kurama, don't blame yourself..." Yusuke spoke, walking up to him after the silence. San followed suit. She was startled that his face was hard and his expression was full of anger when he looked up. He stared straight in front of him.

"I have no regrets, Yusuke," he said in a hard voice. San knew it to be a lie, but the barrier he had put up was for exterior purposes. It was Sensui whom her mate held is disregard. He began to continue on towards where, she assumed, was going to be the excavation site.

"I don't know what to do, I've never seen him like this before."

"You two! we'll resume the original plan and go outside to guard," said Genkai. San began to follow after her mate. She could hear the others coming along shortly after, but they weren't her concern. She slipped her hand into Kurama's, and surprisingly, he held it tightly. She was happy that he was comfortable enough with her to be able to show his true emotions to her. They didn't speak, but now wasn't the time for it.

"Up here, we'll turn right," Mitarai guided them.

"Hey, Hiei," San's ears picked up Yusuke's voice, "You've known him a lot longer than I have, you're not worried about Kurama at all?"

"You think that's the first child Kurama has killed in his day?" was Hiei blatant response.

"Yeah, but unlike some demons, Kurama's changed," replied Yusuke.

They continued to walk, the silence creeping in on them. Kurama's face was still hard, but San kept her hand firmly in his. The caves here were endless, and a huge maze. San suspected it was there to keep humans out and demons in. Although demons could use their sense of smell to find a way out, it would still be hard for them. Speaking of smell, she caught a scent that she was afraid of, and yet, yearned to smell all at the same. She stopped dead in her tracks, feeling a faint pull at her awareness. The rest of them stopped as well, looking at her with puzzled faces. She wasn't sure why, but she absolutely _had_ to know what was down the next pathway. It wasn't the way they were supposed to go, but if they just found out what was lurking there, then they'd be able to continue on their journey. Surely with their combined strength, it wouldn't take very long. But this pain, this pain in her head that had grown so much more intense kept her from even trying to use her powers to thwart it. She began to walk over there, curious. Kurama's hand overlapping hers did not falter, and he walked with her. Stunned by this, the others followed them, wondering what it was that had drawn away their companion.

_"Moriko.." _it was like a whisper. A tentative voice that she had no choice but to obey. _"Come to me, Moriko.. I will make you mine... for all of eternity.." _It beckoned her, and she was willingly walking into it. She had a faint feeling that she should be rejecting this invitation, but for the life of her, she could not figure out why. The more it called her, the more need she felt to oblige. She just had to figure out who was calling her, and why she wanted to see this person so badly. There was a dead end, covered in darkness. It wasn't completely natural, however. A strong sense of youki resided here.

Kurama instantly knew where San had led them. It was Ryo and Yayoi, her two old friends from her past life as Moriko. Kurama didn't even feel their presence, until he had entered this over sized cavern. Good, there would be plenty of room for him to dispose of the beast. There was no sign of them yet, but Kurama could be sure that they would show. San's eagerness to venture here started to worry him. He put his own distress aside, in order to be able to protect her. There was no telling what the opposing side could do with San's ability to manipulate both light and dark powers. His eyes were hard as agates, and they were searching, probing, for the immediate danger lurking in the shadows.

"And so, finally we will determine where her loyalty truly lies, bandit," the voice of Ryo echoed.

"We shall see," said Kurama, his eyes flickering gold as his hatred built up inside him.

"You underestimate my power?"

"I think it is you that underestimates not just mine, but her combined will _with _mine."

"Maybe you just don't realize the actual hold I have on your beloved. Let me show you kitsune," and his crimson eyes were visible as he walked slowly out of the shadows. The look on his face was smug, and San's will crumbled at the sight of him. His eyes held hers, and she could not fight it. She was struck with the full force of his power, and she showed no resistance. She didn't want to, she knew that her destiny lied with this demon. He smiled as he reached forth his hand, "Come to me, Moriko. You must obey."

San detached her hand from her mate's slowly. Kurama watched in horror as the love of his life was willfully leaving him for his enemy, "San..." he reached after her. But for some reason, he could not budge. The sheer destruction of her memory towards him was a hard blow, one that he wasn't sure he could recover from. The hold was much stronger than he ever realized, and this demon was very good to have it so quiet that not even she herself could feel it. She was one of the most powerful psychics in Makai, and yet this vampire was able to keep his real intentions from getting to her.

She walked at a stately pace, unable to take her eyes off of her enemy. Some part of her mind was screaming to get away, but she didn't falter. She couldn't hear the voices calling to her, telling her that this was the wrong choice. But that didn't make any sense, because Ryo would always be there for her. It was her destiny to be at his side, and get revenge on the humans who've done nothing but ruin her life. They took her brother, and she had to make them pay. But why was it that she couldn't shake off this nagging feeling that these feelings were somehow false? It seemed that golden eyes were lurking in the depths of her brain.

"San! Get a hold of yourself!" Yusuke shouted at her, but it was no use.

"Hiei!" Kurama looked back at the fire apparition. Hiei shook his head. San's will would be the only thing to sever the connection, Hiei could not interfere. It was absolute then. She wasn't fighting, there would be no way to get her back. He had to destroy her old friend in order to keep her out of danger. Murdering was something he's tried not to do for years, and now it seemed that every turn he took caused him to do so. How could he get out of this? She didn't even turn as he called out to her helplessly. Once she reached him, things got even worse. She gently interlaced her fingers with his. There was no way to tell yet what she would do. Then, with a look of triumph, he kissed her, throwing it completely in Kurama's face.

"San!" Yusuke yelled in awe.

"My koishii, now we are one," said Ryo. San smiled, turning to face her new enemies. Her hand was still in Ryo's.

The word ran in Kurama's head. The demon that resided in the depths of his mind howled in frustration. Kurama's eyes hardened, as he prepared to fight with this vampire in order to get his love back. How dare he use his name for her? There would be no end to the pain Kurama was about to put this vampire through. A flicker of something else lurked in the shadow, and he could smell yet another wolf. Yayoi was out there still, and Kurama found it strange that she stayed put instead of coming out. He wouldn't know how to fight them both at the same time, but he knew that the others couldn't involve themselves.

"Alright hot shot, give us San back or prepare to get your ass kicked! I'm feeling pretty pissed off and you look good enough to take out my anger!" declared Yusuke, charging up his reiki.

"Fool. Stay out of it," Hiei intervened.

"What?"

"This is between Kurama and the vampire. Don't interfere."

"But-"

"While I appreciate the devotion to my mate, Hiei is right. This is the between the two of us, and we must settle it," Kurama told him in a calm voice.

Yusuke grumbled, "Okay, but the minute you fall, I'm stepping in."

"Hn. No need for that, I'm sure I'll be able to continue to entertain our guests if I have to. I didn't get any fighting in our last round, and I'm starting to feel hungry for blood."

Kurama ignored them. He wouldn't fall, he couldn't afford to. He began to focus again on how he could wrest his mate from his enemy's grasp. The only thing that would be powerful enough to infuse her, would be to become a demon. Not only that, but the site of him would probably bring her back to reality, since Ryo only focused on the over powering demon mind inside her. San was raised for years as a human, but her mind still worked as that of a wolf, as the demon she always was. She shape shifted into a human, and that meant that she didn't adapt to their way of thinking since she never joined with one to know how it was done. Since there wasn't much human to her in the first place, there would be no way to get through to her using that tactic. There were only two options. Either become the beast raging inside, or goad her into gaining enough power to do so. One thing was for sure, he absolutely had to make sure that these enemies didn't discover her dormant powers. If he could bide the time, he would be able to store up enough energy emanating from Makai to briefly emerge as his true form. It was his only chance.

Ryo continued to stare, with his hand securely in San's. Kurama knew that he wouldn't accept her in human form, and would find a way to draw power to her, making her able to resume her natural form. The problem was, how was he going to get past her, and kill him? Sensui had thrown another impossible choice in his face, and they only had limited time to act...

...

there guys, thought i'd make up for lost time and put up two. thanks so much for the patience you've shown me and the awesome comments. :) you guys make it what its worth


	41. Mental Conflictions

"And now, we shall determine who truly deserves our Queen," said Ryo in that annoying voice of his. San smiled evilly at them, waiting for a move. Kurama had to be careful. If the vampire's hold on her was as strong as he thought it was, then she would defend her new "mate". The fox watched as his enemy let go of San's hand, beginning to walk up and fight him. San stopped him, and Kurama looked on with hope in his eyes. Maybe he doubted her, maybe it was all subterfuge in order to get close enough to kill him. He could only hope, and he knew that she could be devious enough to pull it off. But all his hope died when he watched her step up instead, a look of malice written all over her face. She was preparing to fight him herself.

He had to re-adjust his thinking then. She had training from her old clan, from himself, and from Genkai. This made her dangerous just as a mortal. But then there was the fact that she could change into a wolf, and the fighting style would become completely different. But then, he had never seen her unleash her powers of darkness, so there was a huge variable that he had no way of knowing how to counter act. Not only that, but time was running out, and this could be just another part of Sensui's plan to distract them. He knew that Kurama wouldn't leave without his mate, and that the others would faithfully stand by him to make sure that their companions were looked after.

"Mitarai," Kurama began, never taking his eyes off of his mate, "Have you ever seen the two demons fight at all? This vampire and his wolf?"

"Actually no. They were usually off on their own that the human part of our team never really paid attention to them. I'm sorry Kurama," the youth answered with sincerity. Just as he thought, there was no way to gauge the opponent and figure out a strategy. What more, he didn't actually want to hurt his mate, who was so willing to kill him at this point.

"Are you done speculating? Or can we get on with it, I'm bored," said San, smiling smugly at him.

"I don't wish to fight you koi. Please, try to remember," Kurama said softly to her, taking a couple of steps forward.

"Remember what? How your vengeance has provoked this?"

"Remember me, San. Our life together. We're mated, koishii. We have been for nearly 2,000 years. Try, to remember all that we've been through."

"I believe you're wrong, kitsune. Perhaps I'll be doing you a favour by killing you. This way, you'll no longer have to suffer living in delusion!" and she disappeared. To the untrained eye, that's how it looked, but her speed was great, and she was behind him in seconds. She lay a hard kick to his back, sending him flying across the way. Stupid. He forgot how fast she was. He got up, turning to look at her with those same soft eyes of his. She was smirking in triumph at having made first contact.

"San, what are you doing? That's Kurama you're attacking!" Yusuke shouted in outrage.

"Shut up!" she threw back, as well as a dark ball of energy. They were quick enough to dodge, but after the dust had cleared, they stared at her in awe. Now the enemy definitely knew that she could harness dark powers, and she hadn't even whispered into them. That blast indicated that she had some training, and that the force was much more powerful than anticipated. He had to use extreme caution here. She turned back to Kurama, getting ready for her next move. He didn't have time to think. One of the dusk plant vines grabbed him by the waist and threw him against the wall. Hard. Her outstretched hand that led the force of her reiki stayed, and then it began to retreat back to her. Kurama was pulled along with it, being squeezed. He couldn't let this happen.

"Rose Whip!" he declared, slicing through the dusk plant's vines and freeing himself. Her expression remained unchanged, as she used her power to fight vine with vine. Kurama was a master of the rose whip, and matched her attacks, "San please, remember who you are," he pleaded with her.

"Why do you call me by that hideous name? I am Queen Moriko Chie, of the wolf clan. I don't allow trespassers into my realm and I especially don't let anyone get away with the murder of my clan."

Kurama gasped and nearly failed to block off her assault. He continued to match stroke for stroke with ease. She was playing, and he knew that wolves liked to play. But Ryo had not only taken her memory, but implanted new ones, false ones. That could only mean that he too, was a psychic, and a very powerful one. San's inability to sense that over the years just showed how long he's been around and how well he was able to control his power. This was a very dangerous enemy. He had to make her see, so that if the hold was broken, there'd be no way of re establishing it while she was aware of this hidden power. The first problem lied in the fact that he had to get her to stop attacking him and listen. Slowly though, as time passed, Makai's power was infusing him, and he knew that he could change into Youko hopefully long enough to open up her mind and make her remember. Yusuke had already taken action, however. He tackled her and tried to restrain her.

"Yusuke!" Kurama yelled. He was still fighting off her dusk plant vines. It amazed him how much control she had even while she was fighting off her training partner.

"Damnit San! Open you're eyes. We trained together. Genkai put us both through hell and if you think I'm just going to sit here and let you stay brainwashed then think again!" Yusuke shouted, trying to get through to her.

"Foolish human. I don't consult with the likes of you!" she spoke, covering herself in shadow and then seeping through Yusuke's arms. Even though her attention was focused elsewhere, she still attacked Kurama with her darkness plant. She solidified, kicking Yusuke powerfully until he hit the height of the cavern. She then began to charge at Kurama. He knew that she would disappear before he reached her, so he prepared to defend his backside. She surprised him, however, punching him with sheer dark force as hard as she could. She then appeared before him and landed a thunderous kick, knocking him to where Yusuke had fallen. She didn't let it go at that, however. She conjured up a huge giant black ball, and sent it sailing towards them. The explosion was massive, and it took quite a few moments before all the dust had cleared. But her enemies were no where to be found. She growled, seeing them out of harms way with the small fire demon standing in front of them.

"Stay out of this demon traitor," she commanded between clenched teeth. The apparition just stared at her with his red eyes, seeming to not have heard her.

"Hn. I do as I please," Hiei told her in that flat, unemotional tone.

"For someone who said that they weren't going to involve themselves, you two sure are getting quite mixed up in it."

"My fight is not with you, bitch. It lies with the stupid beast you now call master."

"Then it does reside with me. In order to get to my beloved, you _must_ come through me."

"Hn. So be it," said Hiei, unsheathing his sword. San created a pure darkness energy sword, awaiting the first move of the duel. Kurama and Yusuke were slowly rising to their feet, not really seeing what was happening until too late. Hiei had engaged San in a duel. He was a master swordsman, and she was agile. There would be no point in trying to read the others mind, it was just a test of speed at this point. She had to parry away his attacks, leaving her on the defensive. She sent some of her Halo's towards him. They shrieked with a terrible sound. There were three of them, two in front of Kurama and Yusuke, and one fighting with Hiei. Kurama had never seen a Halo plant before, nor had he seen one fully mature. It had a distinct relation to a harpie, with a black halo strung atop the flowery head. It's roots were planted firmly in the ground, and there was venom leaking from its jaws.

"What the hell is that thing?" Yusuke demanded, taking a step back.

San smirked, "It's a halo, you silly creature. One of my lovely plants of darkness. Extremely rare, and only found in the deepest pits of Makai. They're incredibly poisonous, just a scratch will do, and the venom will feed on your blood. It eats you from the inside out. Try though you might, I don't think you'll be able to avoid them," she laughed then, lifting her arm and preparing to attack.

"San, please, stop this. Try to remember. We're mated, you were carrying our young. They died while we tried to save them, please," Kurama tried again to attack her memories that he knew were locked away. She faltered, looking at him. Her eyes were wide, and momentarily soft. Kurama knew that was a soft spot, something she still hadn't forgiven herself for. But it seemed that Ryo had almost taken that, "Now Hiei!" commanded Kurama. The small fire apparition used his speed to attack the vampire. Just before he landed his attack, however, Yayoi stepped out of the shadows and Hiei was forced to take evasive action. Kurama growled as San's eyes hardened. She unleashed her attack on the fox and the detective. Both of them were careful not to touch the poisonous sting of the plant.

Yusuke growled, "Damnit San! Just listen to him!"

"I don't appreciate lies. Especially when I'm trying to kill you. I don't want you to try to lie to me, I want you to beg for your life."

"San, _please!_"

Yayoi had engaged Hiei in battle, and the wolf demon was well equipped to fight this speedy fire apparition. She dodged all of his attacks, and he nimbly moved out of range when she delivered hers. But that wasn't the only fight going on. Kurama and Yusuke were striving to get away from the deadly Halo's that pursued them. Two of them were on the demon and detective, and one stayed in reserve besides its master, waiting. Yayoi, though angry, proved that she knew how to utilize her emotions and improve her fighting skill. Kurama recognized it, the same kind of flowing style that his mate used. She, however, had human emotions now, so she was unable to match Yayoi anymore. But that didn't matter now, all that mattered was getting San to remember again.

San saw her enemies running from her creations. She smiled. Their pain caused her joy, and she loved to play with her prey. These people stood in the way of her destiny, her plan to live out her life for eternity with her mate. She had to kill them, to make sure that they couldn't stop her from living her life the way she wanted it. All she had to do was get this nagging feeling that what she was doing was right. Why did this red headed, green eyed demon youki stir such emotions in her? Ryo ensured her that he was lying about everything he was saying. This demon fox wanted her to fail, wanted to claim her for himself. That's why he kept trying to push false memories about them being mated. But then, why was she human? She knew she was still human and Yayoi was still a demon. What if he was telling the truth about losing her young? But she never had young. She had never mated with this fox.

_"That's right koishii, he's lying.."_ San heard her mate's voice in her head. Ryo was just trying to protect her. Koishii, a word she was used to hearing. But she was used to hearing it in such a soothing and tender voice. When she heard it from Ryo, it was harsh and possessive. It was possible that these intruders were bringing out the worst in him. But this feeling... She couldn't shake it off. She deliberately avoided those soft green orbs, not trusting herself to keep her mind from falling. She had to protect the pack, had to make sure that Yayoi, Ryo and herself got out of this alive. Humans took her brother, and she had to make them pay desperately for that. No one would stand in the way of her vengeance!

"Kurama, he's speaking directly into her mind, keeping her from trying to think. Keep talking you might be able to break through," Hiei told him while he fended off Yayoi. There was hope, that's what his words meant. He was about to speak with San again, when one of the Halo's spit a venomous spike at him. He froze, caught between Yusuke and the other Halo. But then, a great wave of water rushed the approaching attack away. Kurama felt it then. Seaman had released his territory, and aided them. He used another rush of water, and the remaining Halo's were swept away in his great attack. San growled and then engaged her remaining Halo at the new approaching enemy.

"San, please, you must listen to me. We're your friends, I'm mated to you, we have a life together," Kurama tried to speak with her desperately. She looked into his eyes, and her tawny ones became conflicted. That was his opening. So long as he held her gaze, she would listen, even try to question the words that Ryo spoke to her. "I don't want to lose you, koi. I just found you again after 15 years."

There it was, koi. A simplified koishii, and he said it so soothing. She knew him, knew that there was more to him than what Ryo was telling her. But there seemed to be a block. She tried to remove it from her mind, try and find the source that was distracting her. All she could feel was unbearable pain inside of her head.

"Please San, listen to us," Mitarai now spoke, "I was near the blink of insanity, and you reminded me that not all humans are evil. You brought me back to rationality."

"San!" Kurama called to her. She was screaming, holding her head in pain. Her eyes tore away from his as she tried to fight for control of her memories. He could feel the pain she was experiencing, "I feel it San. I feel your pain. Tell me that I'm lying now, koishii," he watched as she took a few steps back, his words piercing through the lies that consumed her brain, "I want to help you San, to protect you. I want to take away your pain," he spoke softly, taking cautious steps towards her, "You know me, my koishii. Our love has forever shined through everything we've had to endure. Trust in me koi. I need you."

"Lies! Don't listen to his foolishness Moriko!" Ryo shouted somewhat desperately.

"He's the one lying to you, San," Kurama pressed on. He knew he was getting through to her, "I would never do anything to hurt you. Take my hand, koi, and then we can beat him, together," Kurama reached out his hand towards her. Her hands were still occupying her head, but she was no longer retreating from him. She didn't leave his green orbs, but she didn't open herself to him either. Why did he affect her like this? Was there truth to what he was saying? He stopped, looking down into her eyes, just inches away from her. He was so close, she felt herself become warm.

"San..." he didn't know what else to say to her.

Images came flooding to her brain, images of him and her, of a golden eyed fox and her demon form. But then they began to blur, filling her head with Ryo. The sheer force of it gave her an extreme headache, and she struggled, fighting with it. Kurama, her enemy was closing in on her, and she had to do something. This pain was so hard to deal with. She felt such a vacancy, a violation at not being able to see what was passed this door that Ryo was hiding from her. What was there? He was only trying to protect her, surely it was something that these enemies must have implanted to keep her from thinking straight. She set her jaw and then punched Kurama as hard as she could. The force of her blow sent him back a few feet. His eyes, she had to avoid them, lest she fall under his awful spell again. Yet, her subconscious wanted to seek them out. So she did, again. Only this time, they weren't green, they were golden. They were the same eyes that were in the depths of her mind, an image that was burned there. The more she thought about it, the more she could feel herself changing.

San's punch was strong, and it contained no amount of her power. If it had, Kurama was sure that it would've broken his neck. He couldn't give in, he nearly had her. Hiei was still fighting off Yayoi, while Yusuke and Seaman entertained the last Halo. Ryo was just standing there, but Kurama knew that the vampire was toying with San's mind, trying to reconnect what Kurama had severed so far. It was causing her pain. She was trying to fight, but she wasn't strong enough to fend off her enemy. Kurama growled. He had to help her, but he couldn't do it in this limited human form. Setting his anger, he could feel the beast lurking within emerging.

_-I want this demon, Shuuichi. Let me out-_ Youko spoke. It had been months since the two had spoken. It was understandable though, his mate was in danger.

-Do you have the strength?-

_-Yes. For a short period, but hopefully it will be enough to wrest her from that demon's control-_

Kurama's eyes hardened for a moment, trying to concentrate. San had already reverted to her demon form of Moriko. He wondered if Ryo knew the depth of their connection. Would he be able to detect that he was drawing power from her? Using his rage to fuel his transformation, Youko emerged. His presence, he knew, was overwhelming to lesser demons. All the fighting had stopped, as the towering power of Youko Kurama came out in full, angry and menacing.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Yusuke.

"No!" Ryo cried, "How is this possible?"

But he was ignored. Youko would deal with his prey later. First, he had to take back what was rightfully his. Nobody who wanted to live would ever _dared_ steal from the bandit. Especially when it came down to his mate. Ryo would pay, just as soon as he released his hold on her. Youko looked into the tawny eyes of Moriko. She stared back him, her eyes softened momentarily. "My koishii ookami. don't listen to his lies. Remember me."

"Youko...?" she was still questioning. The hold was breaking, but she was still hesitant.

"Remember koishii. Remember all of it. We spent so much of our lives together, playing, hunting. We're legends, koi, and we had to flee in order to have a chance at survival. Our young died in that fatal moment, and I was forcefully separated from you for 15 years. You found me, and now we're together again. Fight his control, Moriko. Don't let him take away the central part of both of our lives."

"I... I can't, Youko... I want to believe you but, how can I be sure?"

He approached her slowly, his eyes showing nothing but adoration for her very being. She remembered that look, knowing it was only for her. "Trust me, beloved," he said, reaching out his hand as the gap between them was closing. She took his hand tentatively. He pulled her slowly towards him. "Remember, koishii, remember everything that we've fought for." She was drawn to him, an overpowering sense of right compelled her to find out. His hand held her tenderly, softly, as her tawny eyes were absorbed into his golden ones. His other hand brushed her cheek ever so lightly. "Eien ni anata o ai shimasu, Moriko," he practically whispered. And then, he kissed her with fierce passion. Her very being exploded as it filled with wave upon wave of old and new feelings, tails wrapping securely around her. The fog and uncertainty cleared from her head. She remembered finally, her mate. Their union, bond, was so strong, it could never be completely broken, no matter how many illusions were filled into either of their heads. Someone was screaming in the background, but this was a moment that belonged to them, and the sounds went ignored. They broke apart slowly, gazing into each other's eyes, storing the facial features in their memory. He kissed her forehead, keeping his hand in hers. They both turned then, to face their enemy.

...

_He hunts in the night, searching for nothing specific. His thoughts have run away, always back to her. It was only one meeting, and yet she was the most exquisite creature he ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on. She could have killed him, this he knows, but she chose to let him free. He ponders their meeting, and uses every bit of effort he has to keep on track. He desperately wishes to return to her den, but knows that she may not spare his life again. Her tawny eyes fill his head, as his heart begins to swim. But she is just a creature, a creature with a rare treasure. He will get that treasure, no matter how long it takes him. If he just so happens to meet with the wolf again, he can bear it. He smiles, thinking about the image he drank in. She bested him with luck, and yet, he feels that she was just playing. He wishes to have her name, but she is a wolf, and will not willingly give it to him. He continues to run, thinking only of this tawny eyed mystery._

_"Our revered leader has returned," says one of the pack mates._

_"You'd do well to hold your tongue sometimes, Yomi," he says, his mind still beyond wonder._

_"You smell like a bitch."_

_"That is not you're concern," he says harshly. While that is the term, he finds it offensive to call such a beautiful creature by a cruel term._

_"Did you even get what you were looking for?"_

_"No. It was too heavily guarded."_

_"By a bitch?"_

_"Watch your tongue!" he yells, his eyes fierce._

_"That's what she is, Youko. She's already corrupted you, stay away from her. Forget this prize and let's move on before you start having a litter of puppies."_

_"I will do what I wish."_

_"Of course."_

_"I will not tolerate such disrespect. Try to remember that the next time you open your mouth. We shall leave, but I will not give up on the wolf seal."_

_"As you command, our revered pack leader," Yomi responds in a dry voice._


	42. Tortured Souls

He approached her slowly, his eyes showing nothing but adoration for her very being. She remembered that look, knowing it was only for her. "Trust me, beloved," he said, reaching out his hand as the gap between them was closing. She took his hand tentatively. He pulled her slowly towards him. "Remember, koishii, remember everything that we've fought for." She was drawn to him, an overpowering sense of right compelled her to find out. His hand held her tenderly, softly, as her tawny eyes were absorbed into his golden ones. His other hand brushed her cheek ever so lightly. "Eien ni anata o ai shimasu, Moriko," he practically whispered. And then, he kissed her with fierce passion. Her very being exploded as it filled with wave upon wave of old and new feelings, tails wrapping securely around her. The fog and uncertainty cleared from her head. She remembered finally, her mate. Their union, bond, was so strong, it could never be completely broken, no matter how many illusions were filled into either of their heads. Someone was screaming in the background, but this was a moment that belonged to them, and the sounds went ignored. They broke apart slowly, gazing into each other's eyes, storing the facial features in their memory. He kissed her forehead, keeping his hand in hers. They both turned then, to face their enemy.

Ryo's face was contorted in anger, having lost the battle he fought so hard to win. Moriko's smile was malicious, and she was going to have fun with her enemy. Youko's eyes never left his prey, and he knew that his mate would love a chance for revenge. He, however, didn't want to let her have all the fun. Hand in hand, they stalked their enemy, slowly, letting him take in all that was going to happen to him. He didn't appear to be frightened, and Moriko could now sense his mind at work, trying to latch onto her once more. She was easily able to fight, knowing it was there. She wouldn't let him get to her so easily this time. If it was a psychic battle he wanted, she would give it to him.

"It's about time," Hiei stated. They stopped, standing with the small demon. Yayoi now stood with her mate, eyeing them down. Yusuke and Mitarai had also joined the party, the last Halo falling still, observing.

"Yusuke, Mitarai, Hiei. This fight is between us, please stand back," Moriko spoke to them. The three fighters understood, stepping back to watch who would make the first move. "And so now it has come down to this."

"You defy your race, your Majesty. All the world will know how I disposed of the demon traitor, Queen Moriko Chie!" declared Yayoi.

Moriko smirked, "You'll find I'm not the easiest to dispose of."

"I guess we'll find out," said Yayoi, and she lunged at her enemy. Fully aware of that trap, Moriko began to do battle with her. Youko continued to eye down his enemy, knowing that his mate would be fine. In her true form, there wasn't human emotion to distract her from fighting, and the two of them were evenly matched.

"I will make you pay for trying to take my mate from me," Youko spoke in a harsh tone.

Ryo laughed viciously, "She was mine the day I first tasted her sweet blood."

Youko narrowed his eyes in hatred, "You misunderstand me. Perhaps you just don't know who I am."

"You're kind is beneath me. Just because you stole enough to become famous doesn't mean that you're dangerous."

"That is your fatal mistake."

"And getting above yourself is yours."

"We shall see, vermin," and Youko called up his energy, lunging at his enemy. The two fights danced around each other, each member seemed to be evenly matched. It was truly a sight to behold. Youko and Moriko knew that these demons were just delaying them further, but there wasn't much of a choice. It was either fight them and die together, or just plain die. Either way didn't really matter, so long as they remained as one. That was the demon view of things.

"I don't get it, why doesn't Kurama or San use their spirit power?" asked Yusuke.

"Fool. They're demons, it would take that kind of energy to use plants to their advantage. But this is much more personal, and I'm sure that they take great pride in defeating their enemy without the use of powers. Once that rule is broken though, Kurama will destroy that vampire," Hiei answered.

"This is just another ploy to try and stop us," said Mitarai. Yusuke looked over at him. "These two demons were always in the background, not really listening to Mr. Sensui. It's clear now why they're apart of the team."

"Man, this guy knows us way better than we do."

The fighting continued. Moriko pranced around Yayoi, still cautious about hurting her. There was another reason to. There was still a chance that Yayoi could be converted back to their side. She was the only friend that Moriko had, the only connection to the beginning of her life. The years spent away from the clan had presented itself on Yayoi. She was slower, and couldn't remember the most basic attacks. Still, she was threatening, and it wouldn't be good to be caught off guard. Moriko still had a mental battle going on in her mind, and that was a slight distraction. She couldn't let Ryo take over again, or else she was sure that he would never let go. He understood now the bond ran between her and her mate. He was a powerful psychic, and she couldn't let him best her.

"Stop this foolishness, Yayoi. You can't win, and you know that. We can put this all aside and move on," Moriko told her friend.

"Foolishness? You deserted us!" she cried, trying to land another blow.

"You knew the implications of my departure. You were the one who encourage me to go."

"No. I don't remember it that way. You left, and then all hell broke loose. That bitch Natsuko took over. she sent us practically to our deaths, making us search for you for years. Then, she figured that I might know where you went. I wouldn't tell her, so she killed my youngest daughter, right in front of me. Then she imprisoned me, but I escaped. I was going back for my family, and that's when I saw that she murdered my other daughter, the one that resembled me so. It's you're fault. If you had just taken responsibility, this mess wouldn't have happened. I would still have my family!"

"They would have been killed either way, Yayoi. Natsuko knew that you would try to get her off the throne by treason out of loyalty to me."

"Not if she threatened my family!" Yayoi wailed, in tears now.

Moriko sighed sadly, "Yayoi, you're whole family was devoted to me. All except your mate. You and your daughters would have done whatever it took to dethrone Natsuko, and you know that."

The wolf sat, stunned by her words. Tears were streaming down Yayoi's cheeks, while Moriko slowly approached. She was just about to console her friend, when Yayoi unleashed a powerful kick to the abdomen. Moriko had the wind knocked out of her, and was thrown across the way. She looked up sharply.

"It still just boils down to you. We're loyal to you, and it still would have been you're fault that we all died!"

"You're right."

"Huh?"

Moriko smiled at her friend sympathetically, "It is my fault, Yayoi. If I could have done things differently, I would've. We're all compelled by necessity, however. I wish that I could have taken the place of your daughters, but what difference would it have made if all three of us should die?"

"At least their deaths would have been justified!"

"No. That's where you're wrong. Their deaths are justified. they were sacrificed, and the two of us live. You could have put a stop to it, but you were too weak. You knew what that tyrant was going to do either way, and you could have chosen a different path."

Yayoi's eyes widened, as realization dawned on her, "No..."

"Yes, friend."

The wolf sank to her knees, weeping. As much as she would've loved to fault her former queen, there was truth to those words. We all had a choice, and those choices defined who we were. There was no way that Yayoi couldn't have left the clan with her family. But she had already known that. The source of this anger came from an outside party. When she met up with Ryo, he told her all the things wrong with Moriko. Yet, he seemed to have this burning desire to chase her. That should've left warning bells, yet her mind seemed to be asleep.

"That's right, Yayoi, it's all a trick," said Moriko. She put a hand on her friend's shoulder, then went searching for her mate. Yayoi wouldn't continue to fight now, the battle was over.

"Moriko."

The wolf demon looked back at her old companion.

"Kill me. I have defied you and everything that I stand for. I beg you, Majesty, kill me."

"No."

Yayoi looked up at her stunned, "But why?"

"I am no longer your Queen. You are free to chose your own destiny, just as I have. Be well, Yayoi," and Moriko turned her back. Yayoi howled in anguish.

...

_"What is it, beloved? Why are you so sad?" he asks her. They are only miles from their next raid._

_"This is near my former realm, Youko. It is also the day that I left that all behind," she replies. He understands. This was the basis of her entire life, and it was uprooted from her. A thought occurs to him just then._

_"This is also the day that we mated, 1000 years ago, koishii."_

_She looks up at him, her eyes filled with surprise, "Truly?"_

_"Yes beloved. It holds quite a bit of meaning for me, and I could not forget it."_

_"What an amazing thing. This is truly remarkable Youko."_

_He takes his hand in hers, "I thought you might find is so, koishii. Although this day brings you lots of sorrow, I hope that it also brings you joy."_

_"Always, koi."_

_He smiles, and then bends down to kiss her. She welcomes it, becoming swept away in his love for her._

...

Youko and Ryo had managed to wear down the area in which they were fighting. They gave up fighting like mortals, and Youko called upon his weapons with awesome talent, while Ryo used his powers to thwart the fox. It seemed as if they were evenly matched. The difference was, Youko could command more than one plant while Ryo could only fall back on one power. They were both fighting in rage, it was just a matter of who would give in to their emotions first. Moriko was hoping that her mate could defeat this imbecile. If it looked like he was weakening, she would step in and aid her love. He would be angry of course, but she knew it was better than dying. She didn't know how she would be able to deal with that. Yayoi still wept, and the sounds echoed throughout the cavern.

"Why won't you just die?" Ryo yelled between clenched teeth. He was fighting off three of Youko's mystical plants.

Youko smiled, "Because then you would win. I hate to lose such a fun game."

"But you will, kitsune. I will take your life and the woman whom you protect. You cannot hope to defeat me, so just lay down your life now and I may even end it quickly."

"Never!" and Youko attacked. It wasn't much of a fight. Ryo was too overconfident, and that was what ultimately led to his demise. Youko's vines held the vampire in place, and then another struck him through the heart. Ryo screamed in pain. The vine pierced his whole body, protruding out from between his shoulder blades. "It is done. Now you will die."

"No!" he cried, seeking out her face. Moriko stood there defiantly, showing no sympathy for her enemy. That was the blow that hurt him more. Her indifference to his death meant that he truly did not hold her mind nor her heart. He was a fool to ever have been blind to it. His face contorted into hatred, and he tried one more attack. He hurled a dark blast towards her.

"Moriko!" Youko yelled. He knew that he couldn't get there in time. She made no indication of moving, just held up her hand and it disappeared, absorbing into her own body.

"You should know by now, Ryo, that I can feed on any matter of darkness," she told him.

"I curse you, Moriko Chie. I may die now, but you will suffer more greatly than any other," were his last words. He fell limply to the floor with a loud crash. San looked on sadly, wishing that her old friend could have known life better than he did. His obsession is what ultimately got him killed, and the only reason she felt bad was because that obsession was her. She was the cause of his death. She looked over at her mate, who had also become human again. His eyes were still filled with hatred, as he stared at the corpse of his enemy. San walked over to him, slipping her hand into his. He held it, though he didn't move other than that.

"Let's go," she whispered to him.

He nodded, "What about her?" he asked, looking over at the still weeping Yayoi.

"She won't hurt us anymore. She has to deal with the damage just like I do."

"He really got to you both, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but you got 'im."

"Regrets?"

"It's not important right now. We're running out of time. Let's go get that asshole, I want to sink my jaws into his flesh."

Kurama smiled, "I think I could agree with you to some extent on that one," he approved. They walked away, the echoes of Yayoi's wails following them. They walked in silence, no one wanting to disrupt their preparations. San knew though, that Yusuke couldn't keep his mouth shut for that long. He didn't seem too injured by her attack, and she was grateful for that. No apologies were necessary, but San still felt terrible for attacking them. Yusuke trained with her, had the same mentor. In many ways, he was like Akatsuki, a brother that she needed. It was amazing how things worked out that way.

"So..." there it was. San was surprised it took this long, however, "What will happen to the other demon now that her mate is dead? Won't she die?"

San sighed, "Yeah. She'll live until her power is gone, and then she'll die, unless she finds another mate."

"Hn. You should have killed her and spared her the pain," said Hiei.

"Sympathy? From you, Hiei?" asked Kurama, smirking. The small demon ignored him.

"It may sound cruel, but Yayoi is a survivor," said San.

"Why will she die if she doesn't find another mate? asked Mitarai. He was human, so he wouldn't know about such things.

"When two demons mate, it forms a connection not only mentally and physically, but through their energies as well. A male can sustain himself, but the female then has to become dependent on the male," Kurama explained, "She draws her powers on herself until that union. Only then will her powers come from her mate. If her mate dies, she isn't able to revert back to the type of control she used to have. Some females, like San, only mate with one. If that one dies, then they are free to mate with another, but wolves don't believe in that. Demons of a non animal, however, have many mates, making it so that they are sustained for a long period of time by many. It can also increase power drastically, as well as allow them to move about the world more freely. Most males are territorial and possessive, and don't let their mate roam the earth."

"That seems so unfair."

"It is, Mitarai, but it's the way of life. Males in Makai aren't much different than human ones. They're more violent, and rapes are always, always happening at any given moment. The animal apparitions are slightly more orderly than that, and most demons never experience love. But it keeps our population from dying," said San.

"Rape is good?" asked Yusuke with wild eyes.

"To an extent Yusuke. Being a human and looking at it sickens me like it does you. But I'm a demon, and our world, though ugly and brutal, still needs to sustain itself. I'll have to return there one day, I won't be allowed back here. Besides, I don't belong here. Wolves are better left alone."

"I still can't believe that you go along with it, not caring."

She shrugged, "We all grow up differently."

"I'm not talking about that. If Yayoi's going to die anyway, why didn't you kill her like Hiei said?"

"Because if we fail, she'll still have a chance at surviving by finding another mate. Either that, or one will claim her."

"But then she'll practically be a slave, won't she?"

"Maybe. You guys don't know her. She's very skilled, and could probably murder her mates and find one that suits her."

"That's barbaric!"

"Again, its a way of life."

They walked on, the words echoing in their minds. San could still hear the faint whisper of her friends crying. Her heart wrenched, but there was nothing she could do now. Maybe it was wrong to let her live, but San knew that she wasn't supposed to kill her friend. She sighed to herself, pressing on. She could smell Makai much better, and it was only getting stronger. The tunnel must have been complete. All that would be left would be Kuwabara's sword. Then, all hell would break loose. The end of the world was going to be a tough battle, but she could handle it, so long as her mate survived with her. They could see a light coming up ahead. Mitarai stopped just then, looking on hesitantly. San could smell Kuwabara up ahead. there were two more humans, and another demon. But what troubled her was that she was getting the faint aroma of someone she was sure had died long ago. But how was that possible?

"Why are we stopping here, pal?" Yusuke asked Mitarai.

"Up ahead is the final corridor that will take us to Sensui's layer. I just wanted to make sure we're all ready to face it," answered Mitarai.

"Like I said... Why are we stopping?" though Yusuke didn't sound too sure of himself. They continued on in silence. When they came out into the light, San gasped. The construction was complete. Sensui sat on a couch with his back towards them, and standing beside the couch could only be Itsuki. Kuwabara and Gourmet were on a boat in the middle of the cavern lake. but above them, the door to demon world lingered. Demons were struggling with the barrier, trying to break free.

"Urameshi, you're late!" said Kuwabara through his gag.

"We're coming Kuwabara!" Yusuke declared. The demons looked upon them as food, "That's some welcoming party you've got in this cesspool Sensui. This place definitely has a spooky vibe, like the aquarium from hell. Like I could reach out and touch them with a thin sheet of glass between-" but Yusuke was cut off by the cracking of the barrier.

"It's a beautiful view, isn't it?" asked Sensui, not even bothering to move, "I tell you, you can keep your sunsets, and crystal blue oceans and snow capped mountains. Just give me a view to the dusk of human civilization and I'm the happiest man alive. The mark of true art. It has a profound impact on those around it. You're witnesses to history my friends," Sensui concluded, turning to look at them, "And trust me, you couldn't ask for better seats to the end of the world."

San growled, narrowing her tawny eyes at him. This human had no idea how much joy she would have killing him. Kurama put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. He was trying to get her to control her emotions.

"Get me out of this boat!" Kuwabara yelled through his gag. The demons being contained looked as if they were getting desperate.

"In case you're feeling like you've done this before, don't. The world ahead of you is nothing like Maze Castle," said Hiei. Yusuke looked at the demon, stunned, "They have tapped into the true depth of Makai, ordinary humans will shrivel up just by inhaling its rotten wind."

"He's right," San agreed. The wind was so strong here.

"We're getting to the real grip of the film, Yusuke," said Sensui, his eyes back on the television in front of him.

"Yippee," replied Yusuke, voice full of sarcasm.

"The finale's in about half an hour. The most repulsive part is that they weren't even fighting for anything real. They were killing out of fear of an idea that threatened their greed. It only gets crueler from here," Sensui stood just then, turning to look at them, "And then the whole thing wraps up with a rather beautiful song."

"That's oddly inappropriate."

"I've always thought it symbolized hope, which is why I timed the tunnel to open up when the music begins."

San gasped. That meant they only had thirty minutes!

"What's the problem?" Hiei asked Mitarai.

"It doesn't make sense to me," he answered, "How's Mr. Itsuki standing up?"

"He does have legs," Yusuke answered dryly.

"But every time I've seen him since he was first brought to the cave, he's been sitting in that boat, creating a tunnel."

Itsuki turned to look at them, "The portal is alive now, it's out of my control. When the time is right, it will manifest on its own. Even if I wish to, I couldn't stop it."

Sans eyes widened. The demons were beginning to break through, their hands reaching forth to claim Kuwabara.

"Kuwabara!" exclaimed Yusuke. Kuwabara was struggling, but there wasn't much he could do tied up and gagged, "Get away from their hands!"

"Don't you think I'm trying?" he shot back. San was impressed by how well he could talk with that gag in his mouth. But that was of no moment. She had to figure out what she could do to help out.

"Those must be C class apparitions trying for his attention. Simple, characterless creatures governed solely by their appetites," said Sensui. Kuwabara was still struggling, but finally, one of the youki caught him. San gasped, ready to take action, but her mate held her there. She was confused, but chose not to question him at that time. She understood that they couldn't make any moves yet.

"LET HIM GO!" Yusuke screamed.


	43. Tree of Depravity, Reverse Man

"Those must be C class apparitions trying for his attention. Simple, characterless creatures governed solely by their appetites," said Sensui. Kuwabara was still struggling, but finally, one of the youki caught him. San gasped, ready to take action, but her mate held her there. She was confused, but chose not to question him at that time. She understood that they couldn't make any moves yet.

"LET HIM GO!" Yusuke screamed. Kuwabara was struggling, but the demons couldn't take him with the barrier still intact.

"When the judgement comes, you simple apparitions can eat whatever you like. Until then," Sensui powered up his spirit energy, "Don't spoil it," he said, sending his attack at the demons who had Kuwabara. Their hands vanished, "C class apparitions are like seeds, abundant and worthless. But one of every hundred grows to a B class with the brains and the strength that can easily surpass a humans," then he looked at the group, "Want to tell us first hand? Hiei? Kurama? San?" Kurama glared at Sensui, "And then from the leap, just handful takes another big leap, intellect close to omnipotence, body's of huge size of power. Creatures fit for legend, like the titans of Greek Myth."

"I'm getting really tired of hearing you talk," said Yusuke.

"They are the A class demons. They're probably watching us right now from the pits of Makai, waiting for their chance to rise to glory."

"Spare me the pep rally. You're going to kill people you were supposed to protect!"

"My job was to protect the universe as a whole. That's exactly what I'm doing. I've been trying to enlighten you, Yusuke. Don't you remember the doctor's words? Humanity is a disease."

"Can't you guys do this debate thing after you're done saving me?" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"Killing humans can't be that horrific to you, Yusuke. You would've killed the doctor if Genkai hadn't been there, and then Kurama killed a human child."

"We had to, it was for the greater good," declared Yusuke.

"And what if every human was bad?"

"I don't deal in 'what-ifs'."

Sensui smirked, "Mr. Makihara," he spoke. Gourmet looked over at them, and then he came to stand beside Sensui, leaving Kuwabara in the boat.

"That's Gourmet," said Mitarai. What was it about humans that provoked them to state the obvious?

"Oh great. Does he cook?" Where would they be without Yusuke's sarcasm?

"If you can kill Mr. Makihara right now, I'll give Kuwabara back to you unharmed," said Sensui.

"What?" Yusuke looked outraged. Kuwabara yelled something, but San couldn't decipher what he was saying.

"It's your choice. If you refuse the challenge, I'll deflect any other attack you make by using Kuwabara as a human shield."

Gourmet walked up with a smile on his face. Yusuke was preparing for battle.

"Don't trust Sensui's word," said Kurama. San looked at him incredulously, "We'll make a push for Kuwabara the first chance we get. In the meantime, just play along."

"Touching Seaman. You want to save Kuwabara so badly just because he saved you," said Gourmet, "But at the same time you're terrified of Mr. Sensui find out how much your new buddy means to you, aren't you?"

"What?" Mitarai was stunned.

"You're scared Sensui will kill him to punish you for being a traitor," Gourmet concluded. Then he looked at her mate, "But you've got a juicier one, don't you Kurama?" San glared at this human, "You're a lot more torn up from killing Game Master than Yusuke believes." Kurama's eyes hardened, and San growled. "Not only are you riddled with guilt, but you're embarrassed. Youko Kurama would never be so weak."

"Watch it!" San shouted, taking a step forward. Kurama held her arm tightly.

Gourmet smirked, "The fearless and legendary Queen Moriko Chie, reduced to a mere human. Why don't I let you're friends know just how much remorse you suffer for condemning you're only friend to death?" San growled again. They were silent for a moment, "Bingo!" Gourmet said suddenly. What was going on here? "That old flimsy? Haven't you wondered where he's been since the hospital let him out?"

"Eating my teammates, that's on my ass kicking list," said Yusuke, taking a step forward. Kurama put a hand on his shoulder. San looked at her mate. His eyes were hard, as if this were personal somehow. She pondered that.

"I'll take this one, Yusuke. And don't argue. I am not in the mood," said Kurama. His eyes never left Gourmet. San wondered what this was all about, but from the tone of his voice, she knew better than to ask.

"Um, okay?" Yusuke was clearly as confused as she was.

Kurama walked forwards. San watched, waiting. They eyed each other down, while Kuwabara still struggled on the boat. she watched as her mate took out a rose from his hair. With great speed, he unleashed his power, the rose whip wrapping itself around Gourmet's mouth. San smirked at that. Then she gasped, as he completed his attack, taking off Gourmet's head from the mouth up. The human fell backwards, but he was still twitching for a moment.

"He took out Gourmet so quickly, I didn't see the whip until it was all over," said Mitarai in surprise. Kurama then walked up to his enemy, who only had a bottom set of teeth and down.

"Rely on impulse, and not even your thoughts can betray you," he spoke in a cold voice, "Now come out, Toguro." So _that's _the scent she couldn't decipher. Still pretty shocking, considering this demon was supposed to be dead, "Did you think I wouldn't notice? I could smell your stench since we entered the cave." Bravo. She didn't even smell it back then, but she also had other things on her mind. That laugh, that ugly laugh seemed to come from within Gourmet. The corpse then stood, and the elder Toguro's head stuck out of the remains of Gourmet.

"Good Kurama, it seems your powers have improved even in your human form. Although the red hair isn't nearly as pretty as the silver," the elder Toguro laughed.

"Guess he missed his toguro vaccination," San wondered if Yusuke's sarcasm was just a means of dealing with shock and outrage.

"Gourmet must have eaten him to take all of his powers," said Mitarai.

"Right little Seaman. But much to fatty's disappointment, I'm the one who got the run of the ship," explained Toguro.

"But that must mean..."

"Yes. I play a real good game of pretend. The fantastic tale starts months ago when a man driven to insanity by a horrible student made him hurt his dear old brother. I regenerated slowly in the sea, sending out a special energy wave that only powerful and how should we say, evil beings could hear. I was resigned to wait for years. But my rescue was surprisingly quick. A human of all things. But he said he could get me my vengeance. Isn't that how you remember it, Sensui?"

"When Toguro told me about the many achievements of the new Rekai Tantei, Yusuke Uremeshi, I could feel the hands of the universe tugging at my eye. In the trial against humanity, the defense now had and able attorney. At last, I could begin then sentencing," Sensui spoke.

"Sensui gathered up a bunch of these new psychics for his plan including this brainless lump," said Toguro, controlling Gourmet's hand to point to himself, "You see, we both agreed my regeneration was taking too long. I needed another body. So Sensui let this ogre take me, making him believe that I was the one being betrayed. Merciless really. The poor ape had no idea what he'd swallowed. I'm like a cockroach with a brain. The best was when he realized what was happening. That's when he became afraid. Fear is better enough from the outside, but I felt his terror from within as I slowly took him over. It was palpable!" the monster laughed, "A fear so thick I could eat it!" he continued to laugh.

"That is enough," Kurama cut him off. San knew that tone all too well. He walked, stalking his prey, "You've survived for far too long. And now it ends," Kurama's eyes stayed hard as agates, and his voice was menacing.

"Oh, the fox thinks he can finish me!" he began that infuriating laughter again, "But I'm better than before! Yes! Recovering from what brother did to me has made me stronger. Now I can regenerate from anything. Now if you pierce my brain and heart, I'll still survive. I'm invincible!" he declared, laughing triumphantly, "Thanks to this log, I can absorb any power I want. I'll start with yours!" and then he started to run at her mate. Kurama unleashed smoke from his hands. San recognized this, having seen it in the past plenty of times.

"Let me guess, he brought roach spray?" said Yusuke.

"No you fool, it's a smoke screen, one of his older tricks," Hiei clarified. The smoke was thick, and it occupied the space around the two fighters.

"Well it's definitely working."

"But how will we know if he needs help?" asked Mitarai.

"I'd be able to feel it," San told him confidently.

"Aha! I found you! You're thoughts told me exactly where you are!" declared Toguro, laughing. Then, they could hear him gasp, "So you're body's tricky like mine!" They could only hear him attacking. But San knew that her mate wasn't in any danger.

"That freak's screams are all I hear. Either he's beating the shit out of Kurama or someone's found where he's ticklish," said Yusuke. San stifled a laugh. The struggling noises continued. Yusuke was unstable, "That's it, I'm going in. If it pisses off Kurama, he can sue me!"

"Wait," Hiei stopped him short, "Why don't you look to your left?" he suggested instead. Yusuke and Mitarai looked. The smoke was fading and there stood her mate, completely unharmed. She smiled, understanding now what was going on. Yusuke and Mitarai walked up to him.

"Kurama?" Yusuke questioned.

"The deed has been done," said Kurama.

"What does that mean? I'd sure like to know who he's screaming at. I've got a few creative ideas." The smoke was fading out more, and there was Toguro, wrapped completely in the Tree of Depravity.

"Why won't you die? Damn you fox!" Toguro screamed.

"It's the sinning tree," said Kurama.

"The sinning tree?" asked Yusuke, "Sounds a bit heavy."

"It's called the Tree of Depravity in our clan," San stepped forward, walking towards her mate, "It sucks away your life, while leaving the mind full of hallucinations of evil"

"Wow, that's freaky," said Yusuke, looking back at it, "He still thinks he's fighting you? Even now while he's all wrapped up?"

"Yes," Kurama said simply, his eyes still on his work.

"But how did you get him hooked up on it?"

"I used my rose whip to plant the seed inside him while I took off Gourmet's skull."

"Wow, talk about planting ahead."

"That's below you, Yusuke," San noted.

"Clever. The smoke screen wasn't only to mask your whereabouts. It was a catalyst for the tree's hallucinations to take effect," said Hiei.

"I didn't want to leave things to chance," said Kurama.

"He certainly is something, isn't he Mr. Itsuki?" Sensui complimented her mate.

"The tree won't stop until its host is dead. As you said, Toguro, your regenerative powers make you unable to die," Kurama spoke to his prey, walking up to the tree.

"I feel so weak," said Toguro.

"You will suffer for eternity here. Torn between your head, your agony, and so be it. Vermin like you deserve to be dead," Kurama's voice was cold as ice. San had seen him like this before, as Youko. This was the first time he had ever shown his demon side while still in human form. San shuddered, but she wasn't sure if it was in the pleasure of her mate's blood lust, or if it was in fear. She was just adjusting to his softer human side, but she was a fool to forget the menacing acts of Youko.

"I'll kill you! Why won't you die?" Toguro was still having his delusions.

"Such a malignant soul will never accept the truth. The more he lashes out in his mind, the more painful the sinning tree's effects become," said Kurama. San already knew this, having seen this used before. Toguro screamed some more, and the tree just engulfed him, muffling his sounds. It was good though, she didn't want to hear him screaming anymore, "Such as the plant's nature. Only you're own sins can hurt you."

"Uh, Kurama, if I ever did something that pissed you off, I'm sorry," said Yusuke.

"Me too," said Mitarai. They all watched the horror of the tree taking over Toguro. That would've been a great idea at the tournament if Karasu wasn't there. She shuddered. She hadn't thought about him for a long time. Sure, she mentioned him when she was scolding her mate, but that wasn't really thinking.

"Now only two remain in our path," said Kurama.

"Right," Yusuke agreed. He stepped forward, "You're end of the world party is crumbling, Sensui, and I trust you don't want to be plant food. Give Kuwabara back to us like you promised!"

"No need to get heated, Yusuke," replied Sensui, "I've kept my word, he's no longer in my possession."

"What?"

The boat that behind them came into vision. Kuwabara was not on it, however.

"No!" cried Mitarai.

"But, I never saw him move," said Kurama. San growled, sensing something lurking about. She should have caught onto it earlier. Why were her brains asleep?

"You bastard," said Yusuke in pure anger.

"Look, there!" Kurama turned. They looked towards the edge of the lake, and Kuwabara was sitting there tied up and gagged.

"Kuwabara! What the hell are you doing over there?" Yusuke shouted. they all ran towards him, San taking the lead. She knew there was something else out there. She looked around, but she didn't dare send out her thought to probe. Itsuki was also a psychic, and he could easily attack her unprotected mind. Kurama untied the human, while San tried to stay alert.

"Geeze. Not being able to tell you guys how to fight, that's worse than dying," said Kuwabara.

"Stay focused. How did you get over here?" asked Kurama.

"I don't know really. One minute I was sitting in the boat, and the next thing I was all mixed around and dizzy. As soon as I got my wits together, I was here."

"Did you see something?"

"Well uh-"

"Kurama," Hiei interjected. The was an ominous shadow coming towards them.

"Yeah, maybe something like that."

"Was that what you were looking for?" Hiei asked San. She nodded, not sure how to react to this thing, whatever it was. It covered them, and then a giant pair of lips appeared under their feet.

"Okay, another thing on my weird list just got checked off," said Yusuke. San gasped, eyes opening above the mouth on the ground. The mouth opened, and of course they fell. San tried to jump before it could claim her, but Kurama grabbed hold of her and pulled her close. Damn his over protective nature, "Yep, there goes another one!" Yusuke said as they were falling. It was like a vortex, seemingly endless. It became dark, and San could only feel Kurama, as he held her to him. Finally, there was a faint light. Bones and remnants of destroyed buildings were there.

"What is this place?" asked Mitarai.

"Looks like the dark bowels of hell," said Kurama, his hold on San loosening just a little bit.

"You mean that?"

"Well guys, where ever we are, I would really, really like to be untied," said Kuwabara. Kurama let her go and floated down towards Kuwabara, releasing him from his ropes.

"We are in the bowels of something, Kurama. I'd say it's a dark soul," said Hiei.

"A dark soul, what's that?" asked Mitarai.

"Sounds terrible," said Kuwabara.

"An old apparition. It lives beneath the surface of the Earth collecting human trash," explained Hiei.

"But we were not swallowed by chance. Someone else must be controlling this creature," said Kurama.

"Creature? Please, call him the Reverse Man. That's his proper name," said Itsuki, appearing before them, "He's my pet, I tamed him myself."

"Itsuki..." Seaman trailed.

"You're not truly a human, are you?" asked Kurama. At least her brains weren't the only ones asleep.

"Do you really think a human could have produced that tunnel?" Itsuki answered with a question. Three hands on either side of Itsuki appeared. They seemed to have eyes on them. San found it revolting.

"It is an actual Yamanate," said Kurama surprised.

"I don't care if its a unicorn, let's start this fight!" declared Kuwabara, "We'll see how special he is when I'm smashing him."

Itsuki held up a hand, "Calm your anger, Kuwabara. I'm not here to fight."

"What? Then why the heck did you bring us to this freakin' place? Are we sight seeing? 'Cause I've seen enough." San missed his idiocy. She missed it so much that she didn't even mutter idiot under her breath.

"I'm protecting the fight between our detectives. Though we are on different sides, we still serve the same cause, do we not? Protecting this battle throughout its completion without bickering amongst ourselves. Yusuke deserves it. Sensui deserves it."

"He doesn't deserve bunk," Kuwabara scoffed, "You tell me one good feature that traitor has. One decent thing that made you follow his end of the world crusade."

"He has everything. Sensui can be violent, courageous, spiritually pure, and even fragile. He can be a grateful spokesman with charisma and bring anyone to his side. Indeed I have been drawn to his aura like a moth to the flame the very first time we met. I first saw him in the darkness, forging a path of light. I would follow him for hours, unbeknownst to him. Just watching him work made me feel alive. My obsession grew. I began lurking in the shadows, killing apparitions who wanted him dead. Of course, when he caught me, he wasn't grateful. I was just another demon to judge. I made him laugh, I was the first one to do it, and so he let me live. I suppose I was his first step of realizing his relationships with good and evil could not be so traditionally defined.  
"Who could believe that a hunter for physical prowess, this killer of killers, could also be warm. Compassionate, intellectual, opening to broadening his view of the world. Yes, I admit my attraction was not purely academic, I always wished he would become my lover."

"Okay, you can stop right there, I don't think my ears are holding up for this."

"If you truly care for Sensui, then help us stop him. The path he's chosen will destroy him as well," said Kurama.

"You can't save the damned," Itsuki stated bluntly. Kurama looked startled, "Don't you see? I expected him to act terribly and hurt people. Even to his own end, there's no was to stop it."

"Why not?" growled Kuwabara.

"Because Sensui must follow his soul's true source. Dropping ink on the snowiest white of paper will inevitably absorb into black. It's purity demands it. Tainted men have immunities. Black does not absorb black. Sensui's change is but proof of his perfection, and you cannot stop him. The ability to prevent this demise will show purity did not exist. Purity is worth the world. And worth it ending."

"You're really making me naucious. All of your fancy lies. You can't excuse him! He's a monster, cut and dry."

"You're not listening to me, Kuwabara. I'm not excusing him."

"Then what the heck do you call that?"

"Sensui is indeed becoming depraved. But I must let that happen. Because I know, that whatever he does to the world, even if it kills us all, is what we deserve."

"You should know, I will kill you if I can. Without remorse," Kurama narrowed his eyes.

"You will do what you must, Kurama. But whether I live or die, the battle will not be affected. My Reverse Man will make sure of that. You see, I'm the only one who can control him."

"If we kill him, I get the first hit," said Hiei. San growled, wishing she could do something more than sit here.

"How?" San asked, "How did you tap into this poor creature?"

"It was simple my dear Queen. It has a mind, and I was able to penetrate it. I'll admit that it was beyond my talent when I first started. I don't recommend trying it for yourself, however. I know that you're a powerful psychic, but without absolute control, it'll destroy you."

"And you're only purpose for distracting it was just so that you could keep us out of the way while those two fought? Or what other atrocities do you have it doing?"

"I don't see that its any of your business, San. I will tell you that if you just train you're mind, enhance your telepathy, you could control the mind of anything in your path. When physical violence is no longer an option, utilize that skill, and you can stay away from harm."

"Enslaving creatures, whether proud or stupid is never a way to use that kind of power."

"What is the point if it's already there? You may find no use for your powers of darkness, and yet, you still train to use them."

"That's different. I'm not a monster using that power to destroy and control."

"I'm afraid these surroundings are making us crazy. Let's get a better view," said Itsuki. The eyes of the Man opened, and they could see Yusuke and Sensui, getting ready to do battle. All that they waited for, was a first move.


	44. Seven

Yusuke. Sensui. Both of them had a similar background. That only being that in the end, they are both Rekai Tantei. They had much of the same training, and that meant that they could be evenly matched. Sensui was far more skilled, however, and San couldn't remember the one horror she saw in his mind when she tried to penetrate it. All she could do was try to remember, not that it would make a difference, and watch as the two humans contended for the fate of the world. Time was running out, but so long as this Yamanate contained them, they had no choice to but watch. The anticipation, something she hadn't felt since the days of the Dark Tournament, was gnawing at her. If only she could do more, then maybe she wouldn't feel so useless.

"Simply looking at me fills you with fury, right detective?" said Sensui, "You know, Yusuke, if you continue this work as Rekai's agent, you'll eventually share my fate. The things you see grow a canker on your soul and that you cannot heal with a sword. Do you want to know why?" but Yusuke was just staring, not speaking yet, "Because the canker keeps growing and consumes you. The evil you're chasing becomes who you are. Just picture where you were a year ago before your noble detective work began. Would you ever have imagined murdering another human being? Now your teams killed three in under a week. Imagine ten more years on the steep decline."

"Those were all set ups. You fixed it so that killing them was our only choice," Yusuke spat.

Sensui laughed, "We humans can justify anything, can't we? That's how our corruption begins. That's why I like demons. They make no excuses, they accept their wickedness. Just as you will, in time."

"NO!"

"Remember this always, Yusuke, if you survive this day. You immortality is your strength. The moment you accept it, your confusion will subside. No longer filled with guilt and anger at what you're becoming, you'll focus more on your fighting. You'll at last have your peace," Sensui began to laugh hysterically. Yusuke just itched his ear, and then he attacked. He ran with great speed, almost catching Sensui off guard. Sensui went to kick, but Yusuke dodged, and laid a powerful punch to his enemy's jaw. Sensui went flying.

"Maybe there have been times when I've been pissed and hated things. But it wasn't from this work. My dad's a no show, my mom's a lush, and school sucks. But this job is the one damn thing that I've ever been good at. And if all the crap in my life hasn't screwed me up yet, then neither will this. And neither will you."

Sensui wiped the blood from his chin, "You take things so seriously sometimes. You see? That's precisely what I mean. Once you've accepted your ego nature, you'll feel much more relaxed, no matter the odds," he began to charge his spirit energy into a ball on his hand, "Take me, for instance. If your power rankings 10, mine is a six. Speed, strength, stamina... You beat me in all three. And yet you're still going to die."

"What?" exclaimed Kuwabara. "Why is Sensui talking so much? Is he buying time?"

"I don't think that's it," Kurama speculated, "He's exuding as much confidence as ever."

"You're right, Kurama," Itsuki confirmed, "I haven't seen Sensui this happy in a long time as he getting to kill and prove a point."

"Shut up!" yelled Kuwabara, "From now on, you're on quiet time okay? Don't listen to him Urameshi! Just do what your best at! Kicking ass!"

"Despite advantages, you can't win. Do you want to hear a list of reasons?" asked Sensui, still taunting Yusuke.

"We've talked so much already... I don't think my attention span can take it!" said Yusuke, "So let's just skip to the fun!" and Yusuke ran at Sensui, throwing a punch. It was blocked by his palm, but Yusuke retaliated with rapid punches. Sensui blocked them all, and then finally, it looked as if he was going to launch that ball of energy in his hand. But it disappeared and then Sensui laid a thunderous kick to Yusuke's head, knocking him across the way and into the cavern wall.

"Well that didn't work!" Kuwabara spectated.

"Damnit! First you say I'm faster, then you get the heads up on me like I'm a little old lady crossing the freeway! For just once I want some honesty from the bad guys!" demanded Yusuke. His anger had flared up, and San could once again see what looked like Raizen occupying the same space. Why?

"You are faster, Yusuke. But it doesn't matter. Reason one why don't stand a chance. I can predict your moves," said Sensui.

Yusuke growled, "Nobody can predict my attacks! I'll have you know I beat a mind reader, okay? I'm too crazy to call!"

"He's got that right..." San murmured to herself.

"It's not about being a psychic," Sensui told Yusuke, "It's about experience. You dodge my kick, I knew you'd answer with your favourite finish, a right hand hook to the jaw. Despite your speed, my knowledge of that made it so that I could turn my head and your hand just slides off me. I played a detective just like you. And just like you, decoding my opponents fighting style is my strength. But I've been doing it for decades longer."

"So I guess I can't surprise you? Then I guess you know this to, that trusting what people tell me has never been my thing!" Yusuke started to charge his enemy once more. Sensui was ready.

"Yeah! Bring it to him Urameshi! Just do anything obvious unless he thinks you won't, cause then you should... or not," Kuwabara was not very sure of himself.

San wondered if he know that Yusuke couldn't hear him. The young detective jumped over his enemy and then ran at him again. He punched the ground, almost mimicking Kurama's smoke screen technique. It was a little hard to see, but San could pick up Sensui, just not Yusuke. Then, she saw that Yusuke was delivering rapid punches again to his enemy. He landed a good blow that knocked Sensui into the air. He bounced off the ceiling, then the wall, and then fell into the water.

"Now that's a hit! It's about time he listened to me and did something right. Now finish him so we can leave, I haven't eaten since they kidnapped me!"

"What's that Sensui? You forgot how to swim? You drowned? Great, we'll pack up and go. You heard Kuwabara, he's starved," said Yusuke to the water. San immediately retracted her thought earlier. Yusuke could hear them. The water began to bubble, and Sensui rose to the surface.

"Good hits, detective. Between that and the water, my shirt practically deserved it," said Sensui. Ouch. He had scars all over him.

"Gross, look at the scars he's got. Guess he wasn't lying about all the fights he's been through," Kuwabara mused mostly to himself. The problem with that was his voice could be heard out loud.

"Don't you know what they say about assuming, Kuwabara? These wounds aren't from enemies, no one's ever hurt me that bad. I gave myself these scars as part of my training," said Sensui. What a freak. He began to approach Yusuke, "Let's fight like there's a little more at stake." He lifted his hand and ball of his reiki came out of the surface of the water. It floated towards him, stopping beside his head.

"Oh just great, now he can make things move without touching them," said Kuwabara.

"It's called telekinesis, my good sir," San corrected him. He made strangling noises at that.

"And that won't be all," said Kurama, ignoring his mate's statement.

Sensui then began to power up, and all of her attention fell back to him. Multiple balls of his energy came forth from his body. San widened her eyes at the sight she was seeing.

"They've multiplied! Sensui's surrounded himself with a mine field of little energy balls. How's Urameshi going to get to him now?" asked Kuwabara.

"The real task will be... getting away from him..." trailed Kurama.

"Perhaps it's time I stepped up my game. Watch closely," said Sensui, and all of the tiny balls condensed into one. "Splinter Resshuuken!" he announced his attack, kicking the ball.

It burst forth, heading towards Yusuke in many tiny balls at an alarming rate. Yusuke was dodging them, doing well, but there was a lot of them. Still, he managed to get away for a good while until just one hit him. After that, there was no mercy. He started to slow down, and when they were gone, Sensui started his attack, knocking Yusuke to the ground. The balls all went to their target, and San held her breath, waiting for the smoke to clear. Kurama grabbed her hand.

"Urameshi... Please don't tell me that he's... you know..." trailed Kuwabara. For once, San agreed with him. He was like a brother to her.

"Poor Mr. Urameshi..." said Mitarai.

"Don't be worried yet. It will take more than that to keep Yusuke down," said Kurama, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"Are you sure?"

Kurama nodded confidently, but his expression changed. San wondered what he was thinking just then. The smoke cleared and Yusuke seemed unharmed, though his clothes were dirty. He jumped to his feet, standing before Sensui.

"Is that all you've got?" Yusuke spat.

Sensui laughed, "You are foolishly cocky. A regrettable sin. Now reason number two why you cannot beat me. When attacked from multiple angles, you're defenses are negligible at best."

"What?"

"You think too linearly. Pitiable. You've been spoiled. As a fighter, you've grown a little too comfortable with these gentlemanly one on one duels of yours," and Sensui began to power up once more. The blackish purple balls surrounded him again, and they felt much stronger than before, "I needed to fight many opponents at once, when persuasion failed. So this technique was born out of that necessity."

"Oh come on. You just did that. Can we play another P.E favourite besides dodgeball? You know, I play a really mean game of four square."

"No time for jokes, Yusuke," said Kurama, "His energy is so much stronger now."

"Which brings us to reason number three of why you don't even stand a slim chance of beating me. The gap between your reiki and mine is far too great. If your reiki could fill a fish bowl, mine would fill the ocean," said Sensui.

"What's Shinobu talking about? 'Cause buddy, some of them are not as big," asked Kuwabara.

"There's no way!" cried Mitarai, "The difference between them is too much. He'll.. he'll be murdered!"

"Splinter Resshuuken!" declared Sensui, launching his attack once more. Yusuke began to dodge like he had with the first one, but that one mistake had every other energy ball make direct hits. The limits of Sensui's power scared San, and she finally understood what Itsuki meant when he mentioned using mind powers as a weapon. In a battle like this, attacking the mind would be the only way to ensure survival. Luckily, she had never had encounters like that, but once the gate to Makai opened, would there be much of a choice? She would have to protect the pack, by any means necessary. The smoke cleared, and Yusuke was on his knees again, "You enjoy that as much as the first time? Because there's plenty more where that came from if you did, so don't be shy."

"Hey get up! Don't quit now Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled.

"Thanks for the hint, Kuwabara, I never would've thought of that on my own," Yusuke grumbled, struggling to his feet, "If that's all your energy an do, what's that say about mine? I've beat spirit beast and technique collectors, I've beat Toguro at his best. I've took their hits, and I can sure take yours."

"There's a difference, I fight with divine justice on my side," said Sensui, more energy balls surrounding him, "And justice kills!" he declared, getting ready to launch his attack again. He used a mighty kick, and instead of just dodging them, Yusuke charged forward. He managed to avoid them to a certain point, but one of them made contact. He rose up out of the smoke however, his eyes on his enemy.

"Surprise!" he declared, "Maybe I can't defend attack from multiple angles, but sometime, a good defense is just kicking ass!"

"YEAH!" San shouted, trying to encourage him.

"Individually, those energy blasts aren't so bad. It's only when they reconvene, and attack Yusuke all at once that they become too strong," said Kurama.

"You see? I knew Urameshi could take 'em!" said Kuwabara. Yusuke was still charging at Sensui, and unleashed another round of rapid punches.

"Now it's time for my list. Reason number one why I'll smash your face. I'm just better than you! And I'm not as predictable as you think!" said Yusuke, his punches still going. He then backed off, jumping high into the air, "Bet you didn't see this coming!" were his last words before he jumped into the water. What the fuck? He was swimming across, "You still think you know what I'm going to do next?"

"Hey, stop clowning, this is no time to be taking a dip!" said Kuwabara.

"He's never been one for good manners," Hiei noted. Yusuke swam up towards Sensui and got out of the water.

"I've got to admit, that was very refreshing," he said, standing in front of his enemy, "And now I'm ready, to go a few more rounds," and he ran towards his enemy.

"And now we return to your same old conventional punches," said Sensui. Yusuke didn't falter, "It's unfortunate really, to see that you're brief spot navy was merely a passing reprieve."

"That's way too many big words, pal!" Yusuke shouted at him. Sensui stood there, his arms out just a bit, and then he prepared for an attack. Yusuke then ripped off his shirt, and wrapped it around Sensui's left arm, leaving him attached to Yusuke.

"So he went swimming to he could snap his shirt like a wet towel," said Kuwabara.

"That should hold Sensui's Resshuuken blocking... for the time being at least," confirmed Kurama.

"What is this mockery? This isn't martial arts!" Sensui spoke outraged.

"No, it's called street fighting. Guess you didn't see it coming!" Yusuke told him, delivering punches to the abdomen. Sensui went flying, but Yusuke went him, and continued his attack, "And you can't get away!" More punches, "No more fancy blocks!" and Yusuke rapid punches began again. His arm blurred as he moved so fast as to get it all done.

"Yeah! C'mon Urameshi, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and finish him!" Kuwabara cheered. Yusuke kept feeding Sensui punches.

"I never pegged you as being this much of a wuss!" he yelled, going to a deliver yet another powerful hook. Sensui then took his hand, held it straight, and launched pure energy at Yusuke. It pierced the young detective's abdomen. San screamed, clinging to her mate. Yusuke puked some blood, his shirt on their wrists breaking, and he was pushed back, greatly injured. Sensui stood, his arm smoking. It looked like a gun.

"What was that?" asked Hiei.

"It appears he's transformed his arm into a barrel of a gun," Kurama answered.

"It must have taken restraint to hold that back as long as he did."

San feared for Yusuke. He was writhing on the ground. Sensui just stood over him.

"Stop your whining!" Sensui told him, only his voice sounded completely different, "You are acting like a little bitch. Suck it up and get off you're stinking ass."

"His tone has changed, that doesn't sound like Sensui," said Kurama. At least she wasn't the only one who noticed it. Something was bugging her about his sudden change, but she couldn't quite remember why it would start nagging at her now. It was something she had done in the past. What was it?

"Yeah, he's got a potty mouth now," agreed Kuwabara.

"It's not him," said Itsuki, "He has been substituted now. The only person who can produce that weapon is the ruffian known as Kazuya."

"Kazuya? What are you blabbering about? There's no substitution, we've been watching this the whole time and no one's come or gone, except maybe you're marbles."

"That's it!" she cried.

"Multiple personalities?" Kurama figured it out, looking at Itsuki.

"What? Oh don't tell me this is getting weirder," Kuwabara looked at her mate. That would make sense, why she felt a different presence in his head when she had probed. She couldn't remember how many, it was too extreme, and she couldn't handle it. She looked at Itsuki, knowing that he would have more answers.

"Indeed," confirmed Itsuki, "There are seven, all coexisting within Sensui's brain. Each with distinct traits and talents."

"There's seven of them?"

"I can't believe this," said Mitarai, "I had no idea."

"His subconscious created them to cope with the madness," Itsuki continued, "It's an impulsive defense mechanism. The brain's own primitive survival instinct. When you see something beyond the range of normal humans, most of them go into shock. Sensui has seen this in his lifetime, but never again. He created the others to bear the brunt of that trauma, and ever since, he has escaped from personality to personality searching for answers to the dilemma's that plague his soul."

"He's got an insanity tag team!" Kuwabara yelled as he watched Sensui trample on the open wound of Yusuke.

"Kazuya is by far the most ruthless and cold blooded of the seven. He's been known to torture small children merely for its entertainment value."

San watched in horror as Sensui continued to kick Yusuke's wound. He screamed in agony, and it made things so much worse. She felt something just then. Kuwabara was powering up, his anger running away with him. That wasn't a good idea. But his sword emerged as "Kazuya" laughed menacingly over Yusuke.

"We haven't officially met yet. Though we do have a friend in common," San heard fainly. She was more focused on Kuwabara who was charging the eye.

"I'm slicing us out of here!" he declared. He slashed at the eye, but to no avail. It would not break. Idiot.

"Minaru's too chatty for my taste, but I've felt that list of his, and I've got one to add. The fourth reason why you're going to get skinned," Kazuya laughed, pointing his gun at Yusuke, "Because kid, you ain't totally off your guard yet!" and he fired a shot. It was right beside Yusuke's unprotected head. San breathed a sit of relief, as Kazuya kept firing, missing every shot. Kuwabara continued to slice, and it was a complete waste of good energy.

"Step aside!" commanded Hiei. San sighed, hoping he would have more sense than that. He slashed at the eye with his sword and the eye was unaffected.

Itsuki laughed, "You're wasting your time. Those dreary weapons and your faith in them are nothing more than an insult to my dear Reverse Man."

Kazuya was laughing, "So now that you're the one lying there taking it, tell me, how does it feel? You, you look at me like I'm crazy. You think I've gone off the deep end? You think you're better than me?" and Kazuya didn't miss these shots. Yusuke screamed and it fueled San's anger. She knew it would be useless to power up, the only way was to get this beast to let them go. They had to help him. But how was she going to communicate with it while Itsuki had a complete connection with his mind? He would know what she was doing and put a stop to. There had to be a way though.

"No... I can't bear to watch this... is there anything we can do to help...?" Kuwabara trailed.

Kazuya continued to laugh, "You never experience any pleasure without feeling a little pain. I'm enjoying this way too much. Now come to daddy," Kazuya picked up Yusuke by the head, "My you've got the face of a little angel. Too bad I gotta bust it," and the gun was aimed right under Yusuke's chin, "Open your mouth and close your eyes."

"Not this way..." trailed Kurama.

"But he's our hope," said Mitarai.

"Urameshi!" screamed Kuwabara.

"NO! Yusuke!" San screamed, unleashing some of her dark power that she didn't even know she had stored up. She floated as close as she could to the eye, her face pressed up against it. Tears were formed in her eyes. Yusuke...


	45. Pride

"Shinobu!" San looked at the source of the voice that made her jump. She was somewhat relieved. There, standing in the doorway, was none other than Koenma, "Let him go," Koenma glared.

"Shinobu ain't here," said Kazuya.

"Nice timing," grunted Yusuke. Kazuya kept his grip on Yusuke, threatening, keeping Koenma in place. "Stay back."

"Shut up you little shit!"

"No! Get the hell away from him you whack job!" Kuwabara yelled, his sword once again coming into his hand, "We can't even help him!" he declared, swinging his sword.

"But you don't have a choice," said Itsuki, "As you see, I haven't lied. This beast is like a second reality, and we are trapped inside. The only way to transfer out of it is through my power, which I'm sure you'll never possess."

"You.." Kuwabara was making his move, "...traitor!" he bellowed, going in for his attack. San widened her eyes, but Hiei was there, blocking the attack. "What's that for? I'm going to smash him!"

"Why don't you think a little?" said Hiei.

"Itsuki's the only one who can free us. Kill him, and we're trapped here," said Kurama.

"Powers of the dark in a demon born to the light," San heard Itsuki murmur. She looked at him sharply. Their eyes met, and she could see the regret on his face, "Ryo had told us you possessed this power. It's just a bonus, it fuels this creature of the dark. You've finally revealed some of it, and now you're entrapment is more secure."

"Why did he bring them into this?" San asked.

Itsuki smiled, "That was my doing."

"What?" Kurama asked incredulously.

"I saw in Ryo the same kind of burning desire I have for Sensui. He had been standing idly by, letting our young Moriko here take charge of her own destiny. I am in a similar position. She used his help while neglecting his feelings, but the one thing he lacked was patience. He would outlive the spirit fox, and she would maybe have gone to him then. But Sensui saw the advantage," the psychic then looked at Kurama, "He manipulated Ryo into obsession, knowing that your wolf could easily catch up with him fast enough to dismantle everything he's fought for. You would follow her, even now, until the ends of the Earth. Distracting you both was essential, for she has just awakened a new power, and the inability to control her human emotions could easily destroy important factors. If she was trained properly, and had complete control, the devastation could have been worse. We had to take steps to prevent that."

"You knew of her powers and tried to avoid it? You didn't actually want to harness it?"

Itsuki shook his head, "No. Sensui has enough power at his disposal."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Kuwabara. San suspected that the power their enemy had just demonstrated wasn't what the psychic was talking about. There was something else, and he wasn't going to get into further detail about it. That would give them an advantage. Sensui had gone through everything, arranged for all of this to work out the way he wished. His mind was amazing, and San could see why Itsuki admired him. He had everything to carefully planned out, knew them all well enough to know how they would react and could easily predict all of this. That was why he knew all of Yusuke's moves. It wasn't just similar training as a Rekai Tantei, it was years of study. Not only that, seven people studying can come up with a way to brainstorm easily and find the right course of action. Had he been in her army, they would easily succeed over everything they came across. She supposed it was a good thing he never went into the military of the Ningenkai.

"One more thing," she spoke, "Why involve Yayoi in this?"

"She followed willingly. She knew of the plan, but she also thought that Ryo could bring you around to the old way of thinking. Maybe you don't realize it yet, your Majesty, but you have changed drastically since you have come here, fleeing with your mate. You may not have grown up as a human, but the body has reactions. You're very much a demon, and yet, you're struggling to accept these human emotions while you're trapped within that form," Itsuki answered calmly.

San's eyes hardened, "Stay out of my mind and answer my question."

He smiled, "As you wish. Yayoi wanted her friend back, and she followed Ryo because she couldn't see the right course of action to go about it."

"Sensui knew that Youko would kill Ryo. He knew that I would condemn my friend to death, what was the purpose of that?"

"I suppose the truth would be in order now. Ryo and Yayoi were not mated. We lied to the others just so that information could get back to you. Did you not find it strange when she didn't grieve his body?"

"What?"

"In truth, I am her mate, and I did that to save her. She is free to do as she pleases, but letting her die for some reason didn't appeal to me."

San's eyes softened then, "Thank you."

"There's nothing much I like better than brains on the wall," San heard Kazuya speak. It snapped her attention back, and she saw that he was ready to finish Yusuke. But then Kazuya kicked Yusuke, sending him across the way. Yusuke, however, fired his spirit gun at his enemy. It was a devastating blast. All San could see was a blue light. San heard Yusuke grumble something, and then lay back down. Sensui stood there over Yusuke, a huge crater in the wall behind him.

"I didn't realize you had so much energy left," said Kazuya, "You nearly caught me by surprise."

"Yeah. Well imagine my surprise pal," said Yusuke between gritted teeth, "I had a whole mental picture of what you'd look like as a heap of charcoal. The look would have suited you too."

"No! Get up!" yelled Koenma. Sensui laughed then, but the look on his face was completely insane, "Bad time for laughter, Sensui. Do you really think I'll let you go on like this one moment longer? I'm no human. I don't have the limitations. I'll stop you whatever the cost." Sensui's answer was more laughter, "Since I helped make you, I'll give you a warning. Stop this before I am forced to act."

"Helped to make me? Yeah, you got no idea how right you are. It's just fucking hilarious. Can't get me if you don't know what I am."

"What do you mean? I know you enough."

"Nah, you know the goody two shoes Shinobu. But you don't got the smallest tip off on me. So let me give you the first peek. Name's Kazuya, and Shinobu's taking a little nap right now, which was my idea. I show up when the other six can't handle it."

"Hold it. The other six?"

"That's right, it's a party in here. And don't get me wrong, somebody rubbed me the wrong way but we see enough in common. We all sprung this plan together. All seven of us."

"So that's what he meant. The thought Mirota read from him was misinterpreted. By seven, we had thought he meant the ones he recruited," said Kurama, "We assumed Sensui cared for his team, but in truth the seven were his own personalities."

"The other psychics were expendable. He planned to be the sole survivor from the start," said Hiei.

"That's correct," confirmed Itsuki, "As his partner from the naive years, I'm the only one who realized I could take care of myself. It was the night of the raid it began, when he learned his murders as humanity's defender could not be justified. The guilt was too much for Shinobu, so Kazuya was created to take responsibility for these deplorable acts. Yet, as the fermented, he saw violence would not be enough. He needed to recruit help through lies and manipulation. More sins Shinobu could not face. So Minoru appeared, the orator.

"And so it went, and every moral crisis that stood in the way of Sensui's plan. A new personality would be forged to do the work. It solved the paradox of how one can punish if doing so requires you to do the very same sins. This way his poor soul could remain morally pure. Of the seven personalities, one of them is a girl. She has a beautiful mind, capable of the most delicate loving thoughts of poetry I've ever heard spoken. She would talk to me in the dead of night, always crying, venting sorrows, that if not expressed, would have killed Sensui of a broken heart. Besides Shinobu, I favour her the most. Sometimes I think we're in love."

"What are you saying?" demanded Kuwabara. San looked at her friend sadly. She understood Itsuki just a little too well, "No, don't answer, I don't want to catch your crazy disease."

"I don't doubt you, Kazuya," said Koenma, snapping their attention back to him, "I honour your true existence, but I can't relate with you. Call Shinobu, please, I need to speak with him."

Sensui looked on at Koenma, then smirked, "Hey, Shinobu. You awake yet?" he paused, "Shinobu?" he looked as if he was just pretending to consult the other identities, "He's saying he don't want to talk to you. He's saying he hates you too much."

"But he pays attention to what I say, doesn't he Kazuya?" said Koenma with a sly look on his face, "Listen, Shinobu, this isn't the answer you're seeking. It's not too late to stop thi-"

"Sorry, princy," Sensui cut him off, looking at the door to the Makai, "but you're wrong about that. The calming period is over, it's stabilized. Face it little prince, we've all chosen our fate."

"And then so have I," said Koenma, taking his pacifier out of his mouth. San gasped, this turn of events completely unexpected. It began to glow, emitting its power and beginning its spell, "If I engage this mafuuken, it will first seal the precious tunnel that you have created. Then I'll trap you inside the net, and you'll never move again. I've kept this thing between my teeth for most of my existence, giving it my spirit energy. It was for humanity's next dark day in a few hundred years. Yet you've given me no choice but to use it now."

"Well you're just as stupid as Shinobu says. You can't use that fancy weapon on little old us. Who's going to save the humans in that supposed dark time now?"

"We must handle each new dilemma as it comes to us. If your plan is allowed to continue, in a few hundred years, there will be nothing left to save. This way, your conspiracy will end. You're finished Sensui, unless you plan to kill me."

"My, my, you really ain't screwing around."

"You should consult with your other sides. Are you really ready to be damned? Because surrender and torment are your only real choices."

"We'll chat it over," said Kazuya, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. San wondered the depths of contact between each of his personalities. She didn't dare stick her mind in there again, knowing that it would only endanger herself. She drifted back to her mate, and slipped her hand into his. He held it, though they did not take their eyes off the action. Finally, Kazuya emerged again, "We've come to our choice. It's unanimous between all seven. We're continuing our plan, as soon as I kill you off," said Sensui, aiming his gun at Koenma. Koenma began to unleash his mafuuken. Sensui's gun powered up at the same time.

"Breathe," Kurama spoke softly in her ear. She let out a breath she didn't even know she held. Yusuke stopped Koenma's attack, knocking the pacifier out of his hands and catching it.

"Urameshi! What'd you do that for?" cried Kuwabara.

"Guess he's recovered," said Kurama.

"Idiot! Why did you interfere?" Koenma screamed.

"Maybe I got a concussion," San rolled her eyes at Yusuke first choice of words, "But the way I remember it, I'm the damn detective and this is my case to solve. If you go wasting away Mr. Pacifier then it means I've failed," and then he looked at the object occupying his hand, "Ew, it's nasty and it's covered in spit," and then he walked to Sensui, "Hey, you should thank Koenma, he bought me some time for some beauty sleep."

"Right, I forgot you inherited that wench's spirit wave technique. Makes you a good healer, don't it? Just don't give yourself a pat on the back," said Sensui.

"Don't bother with the bullshit, let's just get back to killing each other."

"Don't be ridiculous, you're no match for him. Give me the mafuuken, now!" commanded Koenma, trying to get his pacifier back.

"I'm trying to do this the nice way."

"You going to tie me up with you shirt?"

"Not exactly," said Yusuke, grabbing Koenma with his shirt, "Actually it goes a little something like this!" and he punched Koenma, sending him away from the fight. Koenma wasn't hurt, San knew that, "You have no idea how long I've waited to do that," said Yusuke, turning back to his enemy, "Now its just the way it should be, you and me. One of you in there said you didn't care about the tunnel now, well that's exactly how I feel. The world ends, the world survives, I don't fucking care. All I care about is that you are beat."

"Well that's awfully reassuring," said Kurama, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, considering he's our last hope," added Kuwabara.

"Your name's Kazuya right? The guy with the gun? Well go get me someone else!"

"Say what?" asked Sensui, probably stunned.

"That's right, take your stupid voice and run back to the biker bar. Show me the top man!" demanded Yusuke.

"You're really a brainless bitch, aren't you? I'm out not cause I do the sick work."

"You don't get it, I can't waste time on you. You're too easy."

That really made Kazuya mad, "I'll blow your skull off!" he yelled, pointing his gun at Yusuke again. Yusuke used super speed, grabbed the gun arm and started another round of rapid punches. Sensui split blood and then fell to his knees. Yusuke sank as well, he must not have been as healed as previously thought. Sensui actually looked hurt.

"Be nasty all you want. I don't care if you torture cute animals, that doesn't make you strong. Now show me your real leader. I'll beat your strongest side so I know its done. You got it?"

"I can take him! I can..." but he stopped short. San couldn't imagine what it was like to fight within oneself. They watched, and then Sensui rose to his feet slowly. He stood in front of Yusuke.

"Which freak am I talking to now?"

"My name is Shinobu. It's an honour to meet you." What? His expression, it looked so innocent...

"He's the true mastermind, right?" asked Kuwabara.

"I guess I've never heard the real him until now," said Mitarai. San looked over at Itsuki for confirmation. But all she was was pure adoration, plain on his face. She recognized the look, having seen it before so many times.

"My colleagues have told me so much about you. But at last we can be properly introduced. To be honest, this is the first time I've shown my face to anyone in months," Shinobu walked up to Yusuke, extending his hand. Okay? "The pleasure's mine."

"What? This is like a prisoner tipping his executioner to get a clean cut," said Yusuke. He laughed slightly, throwing a punch at Sensui. He grabbed Yusuke's wrist, twisting his arm. San cringed, her ears catching the sound of his bones crushing. Then he dug his foot into Yusuke's ribs, and she pushed her hands on her human ears, trying to block out the sound. The gun arm hit Yusuke's face, pushing it to the ground.

"No, he's going to kill him!" shouted Kuwabara. Sensui took his arm away and used his good hand to grab Yusuke's. He shook the young detective's hand.

"The pleasure's mine," he said in a light voice.

"Bastard!" Yusuke yelled, going for another attack. Sensui turned simply, and used his great speed to start walking away. He stood in front of the Reverse Man.

"Itsuki, may I have the arms and spare clothes?" he asked simply.

"It's so weird, I've never seen Mr. Sensui like this," said Mitarai.

"Yes, he's changed from before. I daresay he sounds innocent," said Kurama.

"That's because he is. In his reality, Shinobu has never committed a crime. He knows his other sides have done wrong. But he is separated from it, able to blame then and grieve for what they've done while realizing that it is necessary. Such a complex side, I guess that's why I like him the most," said Itsuki.

"What? That doesn't make sense! If this side's so damn pure, how did he get away with hurting Urameshi? Not that it matters, just going by this new name doesn't make him any stronger, right?" Kuwabara mused. Itsuki remained silent, "Don't worry, Urameshi! Whoever he says he is, it's all part of the same Sensui, you can take him out!"

"This is going to be fun," said Yusuke. Sensui walked towards Yusuke.

"Be honest, are you still strong enough to face me?" asked Sensui.

"The funny thing about that, I did a little power inventory and it turns out that I have exactly enough to cream your face into the wall."

"Oh? You mean you really believe that's possible?" and Sensui laughed then. This eyes glowed, and the ground beneath him began to crumble. San gasped, the feel of his power immense. She began to feel fear, something she was not accustomed to. Her breathing became irregular, and she felt Kurama put an arm about her shoulders. That's when she noticed that she was trembling. This power, it was so legendary, she didn't think it existed. The feeling of it, just a touch sent her thoughts into a series of bad events. She truly hoped that Yusuke would be able to defeat him. She knew that even though they would try, they had no hope of finishing him off. Yusuke seemed to flicker, and once again she saw the image of Raizen. Why was he there? What could Raizen possibly have in common with Yusuke? There was something in her memory, something she couldn't quite get. She knew she needed this, but how was she going to access it. She buried her face in Kurama's shoulder, knowing that he would just assume she was afraid. She closed her eyes to reinforce the darkness and began to search her memory.

...

_She hunts in the dead of night alone. She could have her brother with her, but she chooses not to bring him this time. There is something, someone calling her out at this time. She knows it is not an enemy, but rather, a friend in a peculiar sort of way. This presence is weak, but its call is desperate and urging. She has to find the source of it, has to know if it will threaten the pack. It may not be her duty, but she is young and naive. Her psychic powers were still at infancy, but she works on them every passing minute. This is a test, and she is determined to pass it. Not even her father knows of her ability. She runs as fast as her legs can carry her, right to the edges of her realm. There is only the sound of night creatures about, but she catches a scent, one she does not recognize. She runs towards it, and sees with her tawny eyes the silhouette of a demon. She approaches with caution._

_"Help me..." the voice is weak as it reaches her ears. She smells blood._

_"Who are you?" she asks the stranger. His hair appears to be of the purest white, and she walks to him, knowing that he cannot harm her in his present state._

_"I am Raizen."_

_"Why have you come into our territory?"_

_"I have no desire to hunt your food, drink from your rivers or mate with you. I have been injured, and was just passing through."_

_She relaxes, feeling better that he knows wolves, "Why have you called me here?"_

_"I called for help. Can you help me?"_

_"Let me see," she replies. She walks over and inspects him. His wounds are not grave, and she is easily able to heal him._

_"Thank you. What is your name?"_

_"I am called Moriko," she tells him, knowing that he is indebted to her._

_"I am one of the three rulers of the Makai. You're in my domain, but I will protect your woods so long as you remain. It is the least I can do for your services."_

_"Thank you Raizen. It is good to gain friends."_

_..._

_"I hate to disturb you, Queen Moriko, but you have an urgent message," Yayoi, her friend speaks to her._

_"Finally," she murmurs, taking her leave. She sneaks out of her new realm, and runs to the place of her meeting. She finds her friend, sitting against a tree of his choosing._

_"Queen Moriko," he speaks._

_"Why so formal, Raizen?"_

_"No reason, Moriko. I never did give you my blessing."_

_She holds up a hand, "There is no need for that. You don't look well, Raizen."_

_"It happens. I am awaiting the mazoku."_

_"He will appear before your last days, that is what I have seen."_

_"Will you know him when you see him?"_

_"I'm not sure. I could not catch the slightest glimpse of his face, but it is far into the future, and something may happen to me. I may not live to see that long."_

_"I shall hope so."_

_"Why is that you've come?"_

_"You have a war approaching, Moriko. Your enemy is on the move, I delayed them as well as I could."_

_"Thank you."_

_"I must return now. Good luck."_

_"Be well, Raizen."_

_..._

San snapped her eyes open and looked at Yusuke. All this time, he was the mazuko. She should have known right from the beginning. Not like it would matter, his demon form would have to emerge. But there was only one way to do that, and San wasn't even sure that Yusuke was powerful enough for it. Tapping into that power would make it so that he could defeat Sensui and stop this madness. She wouldn't be able to tell him of course. Her interference could cause devastation, that was one aspect her vision stated clearly. But how would he release his powers in time?


	46. Sacred Energy

This power. It scared her, and that was something she really didn't like feeling. Her memories had confirmed that Yusuke did stand a chance, but accessing it in time was a huge gamble. There was no way to be sure, and they were still stuck inside this Reverse Man. There was nothing she could do in here. She felt like a coward in her mate's protective arms. She felt safe there, but hated the feeling of fear and being useless. San was normally unafraid of death, but having close friends made her scared for their lives. She would walk willingly into battle with Sensui, knowing that she wouldn't stand a chance. But the people around here had as much of a chance as she, and the thought of them perishing frightened her. What kind of ruler lived in fear?

"Spirit energy that makes my head hurt?" questioned Yusuke, "That's new..."

"That's not reiki at all," said Kurama.

"It's not demon energy either," added Hiei.

"Wait a second, if its not spirit or demon, what the hell kind of energy is it? Solar?" asked Kuwabara. San was too afraid to even laugh at that. Sensui's energy was massive, and he was glowing golden.

"No. It isn't possible. He's mastered the sacred energy..." trailed Koenma.

"Sacred energy?" repeated Yusuke.

"What the heck is that?" asked Kuwabara.

"He can't..." trailed Kurama.

"Sacred energy is the highest echelon of power any human can harness. But how could you? It takes 40 years of discipline at least," said Koenma.

"40 years shared by seven personalities is only six. Of course even training's no guarantee. You need to be receptive to it, having the unerring desire to correct the world around you. Something Genkai discovered she did not possess," Sensui explained.

"What?" Yusuke was stunned.

"Even your teacher has her limits," and Sensui unleashed just a breath's worth of power, "Sacred energy's just about operating on a higher plane, transcending the physical realm," just one measly swipe of the hand, and Yusuke was spitting blood, being thrown to the end of the cavern. The ground beneath him was torn up as he went sailing away. Sensui's attack was incredibly powerful.

"Oh no!" yelled Kuwabara. San was shaking in Kurama's arms. Her mate seemed calm, but she knew his mind was working over time. Yusuke struggled to his feet, his body trembling with every breath. Finally, after just a moment, Yusuke was charging at Sensui again. He delivered more rapid punches, this time infused with his spirit energy. Sensui wasn't even phased, and San gasped. He just laughed that menacing laugh that filled her ears with more fear. Yusuke went to deliver an incredible blow, but Sensui just caught his arm at the wrist, stopping it dead.

"You're tired. You should take a break now," said Sensui, breaking his arm. San cringed at the sound while Yusuke screamed. Koenma's pacified flew into the air and Sensui was about to grab it, when Yusuke took off his shoe and threw it in Sensui's face. In turn, the pacifier was between Yusuke's toes.

"You're getting sloppy, Sensui. So I'll need a cast, you'll need a nose job," said Yusuke.

Koenma growled, "You know I have to put that back in my mouth!"

"I know what you're planning to do," said Sensui.

"Well that sure beats giving up," replied Yusuke.

Koenma staggered over to them, "Shinobu... It's me-"

"Shut up Koenma!" Yusuke cut him off.

"You don't have to."

"Sorry but, you don't have a clue what I have to do!" Koenma looked shocked, "I know, we'll win. We are going to beat him in the end."

"Yusuke... What on Earth are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I see now. I'm thinking 'No, I know I'm close to the world's best strategy for kicking ass'."

"Your close?"

"And I'm thinking that Sensui's thinking he knows what I'm thinking, because he usually does. But there's just one thing I don't know. Do you have the stones to pull off what it is you're thinking you'd like to do to me? Or are you scared that your little destiny's nothing but crap?"

"Yeah Sensui, destiny breaking is our specialty!" yelled Kuwabara.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," stated Hiei.

"Why not?"

"Yusuke doesn't have a plan. There's no way he can win," San looked at Hiei incredulously.

"Hey, who's side are you on?"

"Your senses probably aren't sophisticated enough to know this, but Sensui's energy is currently that of an S class apparition," _he_ was scared, and she suddenly felt better.

"That's a lot right?"

"That's as strong as they get, and I think Sensui's been restraining himself as much as he possibly can. He broke Yusuke's arm with limited power. Delicately, as if snapping a twig," said Kurama. His words made him hug her to him tighter.

"Shame on you. I still have faith."

"Well that makes sense," said Hiei between gritted teeth, "Faith's for the fools. But we've all been made fools here. We assumed we'd triumph. That... we'd be able to kill another arrogant enemy. We were arrogant this time. Sensui will kill us all. I hate being underestimated, but underestimating is worse. His power's rare even in Makai. I never thought I'd see it like this, and to see it manifested and in the hands of a cruel human being no less." San was surprised about this. She had never realized until now how much she depended on Hiei's strength for support. To see it crumble really brought a sense of reality to every mission they've embarked on.

"I get it, he's strong," but the conversation ended as the walls began to shake again. Sensui's energy burst forth, the air and ground around him crumbled under its massive weight.

"Was that me? I've checked my power for so long now that sometimes I don't know my own strength and just lose all control over it," said Sensui, "Thats my only set back really, I'm too strong for the human world. It's physics can't hold me, clearly, my strength is my weakness. Isn't that ironic? Really," said Sensui. The cave continued to deteriorate.

"You don't make any sense. You want to destroy this world, or so you say. But you also say that doing this kind of damage to this world is your greatest weakness," said Yusuke, "So what are you holding back for, Mr. I'm-so-strong? If its such a pain for you then just let it out."

"You stupid child! You think you can take one tenth?" his power came out, and Yusuke was knocked back beside Koenma. What was he doing? Trying to get himself killed? "You're wrong you know. I don't want to destroy the world. On the contrary, I like flowers and trees, and insects and animals. The only thing I hate is all human beings."

"Then you and I, have something else in common. We both hate you."

"Clever. I'm going to grant your wish. If you want to die, then so be it," and then he turned to the tunnel, "Look at them. They're getting restless. They know they'll be out soon. But then, you won't have to live to see that!"

"Yusuke! Forget your pride!" was all San could hear Koenma shouting.

"No, I can't 'cause I don't have it anymore. He must have snatched it at some point," said Yusuke. San could see how they were talking about the pacifier. It was hovering about Sensui's hand. Koenma began to power up.

"Right where I want it!" he spoke. "Mafuuken!" he shouted, unleashing his spell. It was headed right for Sensui, and it blew out his sacred energy. He was struggling of course, but that was just a bad idea.

"It looks like its working," said Kuwabara.

"Yes," confirmed Kurama, "The mafuuken can be the most powerful defensive spell in Rekai, depending on how much spiritual energy has been concentrated into it. More specifically, in its physical emissary. In Koenma's case, his pacifier."

"That's why? I always thought he sucked on that cause he had some sort of oral fiction."

"Fiction?" San questioned.

"Fixation," Kurama corrected absently, "The more it absorbs, the more its intent to defend the power becomes. Koenma's mafuuken emissary has been collecting his spirit energy for hundreds of years now. Not even an S class apparition could break free of the kakai barrier it produces."

"Surrender now. This is your final opportunity! Soon the pressure will blow so strong trapping even the most powerful creatures in its net," said Koenma. The demons in the tunnel were being pushed back, "You could end it now, Shinobu! Just come with me!" Koenma pleaded. Sensui grabbed the pacifier, screaming. San didn't know if it was from pain or what. The blue light emitting from the mafuuken combined with Sensui's sacred powers sped up the cave's destruction.

"The mafuuken is being blocked," said Kurama.

"Impossible!" cried San.

"Are you sure Sensui can really do that?" asked Kuwabara. His question was unanswered. This was a real serious matter.

"Impossible!" said Koenma. At least she wasn't too far from the truth, "You can't stop this."

Sensui screamed, and the power shifted up, the pacifier disappearing. There was now a huge hole in the top of the cave. They were too far down to see anything besides darkness. At least the humans wouldn't see anything besides a giant blast. Who knows how far that could have gone. It was done, the mafuuken could not stop their enemy. San fell to her knees in defeat. What could they do? She looked at her trembling hands. What good was she here? She felt her mate's hand on her shoulder.

"Don't give up just yet, San," he told her in a soft voice. She looked at him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She nodded, however, wanting to be strong for him.

"You really thought you had me, but you didn't take into account the sacred energy. What a waste of your royal saliva. The mighty prince fails again. However, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself for this man's soul. Really, there won't be any humans to protect in a few centuries anyway. We'll wipe ourselves out, I'm just not willing to wait. You must be feeling so much guilt about this. Not only did it fall on your watch, but you set the forces in motion. You know that, and it kills you. Do you want to run home and cry to your father?" said Sensui. San growled, knowing that her anger would help dissipate her fear.

"You're right, I take responsibility for hiring you and sending you to that place," said Koenma, falling to his knees.

"I never thought I'd see the proud son of King Enma humble at my feet."

"I'm ready to pay for this, the rest of the world shouldn't have to," said Koenma. Yusuke was there though, and on his feet. He laid a hand on Koenma's shoulder.

"You're not ready to die. You just stopped teething," said Yusuke, his eyes never falling off Sensui. He stepped forward then.

"Don't. You can't win! The world needs you alive, Yusuke. You're their only hope and you're no good to them dead. It's my mess to answer for, not yours."

"Oh right, I'm killing you. Forgive me, I got distracted," said Sensui smugly.

"You'll walk into my plan," said Yusuke.

"Alright, I knew Urameshi had some plan all along. I'm big enough to admit when everyone else is wrong. Just try and contradict me now," said Kuwabara.

"You're wrong, Kuwabara," said Kurama. He knew what Yusuke was thinking, that San was sure of.

"Didn't you just hear what he said?"

"I heard amply. Remember what you did in the fight with Toguro? Yusuke intends to do the same."

"He's using the spirit flyswatter?"

"The other Toguro," San corrected, her hand going into her mates. Her tears hadn't left her eyes yet, but she knew they would after Yusuke went through with this. That stupid bastard...

"What you did when Yusuke fought the younger one," Kurama told him.

"Oh yeah that? How could I forget?" said Kuwabara, his memory flashing to him. Realization dawned on him, "I see now."

"What you did is what Yusuke's going to do for all of us, except that Sensui..." Kurama couldn't finish.

"Won't be thinking," Hiei finished it for him.

"No, he can't do that. Urameshi, come one..." trailed Kuwabara. San shook her head, as Sensui's power began to power up. She hoped to hell that Yusuke really had a trick up his sleeve. If only he could call upon his hidden power. But how would she even go about telling him about it, let alone how could she show him what to do about it? The cavern continued to crumble, and San waited for the next move.

"No. Urameshi's not going to leave it to us," said Kuwabara in disbelief, "It's not his style to trust anybody, he wouldn't give his life unless he were saving us for sure!"

"Perhaps that's just it," said Kurama, "Think, Kuwabara. What you did wasn't a real gamble. You knew what Yusuke had just been through."

"They were saying he was supposed to be stronger..."

"That's right. You knew Yusuke wasn't living up to his potential."

"Genkai's spirit orb."

"Yes. He possessed the power, but he didn't know how to tap into it."

"Well then, maybe we should kill Kuwabara again," suggested Hiei in a mild tone.

"No, Yusuke's maxed out. We're the untapped ones. We have the power, but not the strength of mind to reach it, not without the pain of loss."

"So could we save him?" asked Mitarai.

"Wait Urameshi!" yelled Kuwabara, "running" towards the eyes of the Reverse Man, "You don't have to die! If you really believe I have the strength, I'll find it! Please just give me the time, I swear!"

"You're half right. I've got a feeling what I'm about to do isn't going to seal up any tunnels or keep demons from having Earth to play with. The whole world's probably screwed. Who cares? But I'll get one thing accomplished, I'll know the loser of this fight," said Yusuke, eyeing down his enemy.

"You are asking me to take your life, Yusuke?" asked Sensui.

"Yeah, that's right. And do it with some style. I don't want some piss poor half assed try. I know you can do it real quick."

"Urameshi! You can't go this way!" yelled Kuwabara, "Think! What I did against Toguro in the fight I did for you!"

"The breaking point," Kurama murmured gravely.

"I did it for you! But you can't ever die and have it be for me! You can't! You can't! Urameshi! For me..." San could smell the salt tang of tears. Kuwabara was crying. San wished there was something she could do, "You always got to be there, Urameshi, can't you get it? If you're not, then who am I?"

"Hey, what are you waiting for head case?" asked Yusuke. He was probably choosing to ignore Kuwabara's protests. They stood in lock down.

"Lover boy!" said Hiei, looking at Itsuki, "Release us now and you can keep your ability to breath," and Hiei took off his overcoat to prove his point, "If we're going to die, let us die in war against Sensui."

San understood, powering up her energy a bit. She wasn't sure if it was her darkness powers or not, but it didn't matter at this point, "But how?" Kuwabara asked. Kurama followed suit, taking a rose out of his hair, "We've tried everything," said Kuwabara.

"Kuwabara, Hiei, San and myself will join Yusuke on five on combat using every tactic we have. We've gone far past the stage of fighting for our honour," said Kurama.

"I'm ready," said Kuwabara.

"We just need Itsuki to let us out of this creature. Perhaps torture would suffice."

Itsuki just stood there, "There's no more use in trying to keep us contained," San spoke, "Once you perish, we'll be able to break free." Still, he didn't make a move. And then he smiled.

"You'd still fail," he said simply.

"What? Why?" asked Kuwabara.

"Five times zero power is still zero power."

"I'll show you zero-" and Kuwabara went to attack Itsuki. He was stopped short by Kurama, however.

"If you really think we can't help, what was the purpose of trapping us?" asked Kurama.

"Well, while you were never a threat for defeating Sensui, you could perhaps with team work, run away, carrying Yusuke on shoulder as you escape the cave, deflecting Sensui's attacks."

"No, we don't run," said Kuwabara.

"Maybe you don't, but you should ask your more strategic friends. Hiei, Kurama, Moriko, I sense that none of you is terribly far from becoming an A class demon. In fact, spirit fox, wolf, I believe you once were. Maybe you plan to stay with your lives now and brace for the first wave of demon intruders. Then, make yourself strong, defeat Sensui as a team and proceed to damage control."

"He's read out minds," said Hiei, "You're clever Itsuki, but you've guessed wrong."

"Don't try try your bluffs on me, Hiei. I know your kind too well. Just stand here and do the only thing you can. Watch Yusuke die."

"Your a soulless freak!" yelled Kuwabara. Mitarai walked up just then.

"Mr. Kuwabara, I've been thinking about something," he said tentatively.

"Sorry pal, but if its not about a way out, I don't want to hear it."

"It is. Remember our fight when you and your friends were trapped inside my water monster? That territory was a dimension, you shouldn't have escaped. But you did, by realizing your new power. You got out of that dimensional beast, and you could get us out of this one."

"You think?"

He nodded, "Mr. Sensui kidnapped you because he saw what you could do. It wasn't a fluke."

"Yeah, you should have brought this out to me earlier kid," said Kuwabara, powering up his spirit energy. San watched, eager to see this new power. It backfired, however.

"Idiot," Hiei took the word out of her mouth.

"He still hasn't learned how to hone his new power," said Kurama.

"I know you're in there somewhere," said Kuwabara, trying again.

"Why do you think we prevented Gourmet from eating you earlier? Because you're still useless. You can't yet summon the Jigen Tou at will. Sensui, finish Yusuke now," said Itsuki. The demons were getting desperate, but San was too focused.

"Well then, you just heard Mr. Itsuki. I'm no longer aloud to hesitate. One of us detectives has to die," said Sensui. Yusuke began to power up along with Sensui.

"Wait!" Kuwabara cried.

"What are you waiting for, your balls to drop?" asked Yusuke.

"No, it's not fear. I just want to savour your fall," replied Sensui.

"Yeah? Then I'll make sure I'm tasty for you!"

His energy was intense, and San wondered if he really could pull this off. She was hoping that he would survive, that he would somehow manage to pull this off. He charged at Sensui, jumping into the air and sailing down for a kick. Sensui pushed him away with one arm and then ran at his enemy. Yusuke lay a thunderous kick to his abdomen and then proceeded with rapid punches. He was about to go for the finishing punch when Sensui jumped away.

Yusuke fell to the ground, "Now I know I've made the right call. You're done pal, it's just a matter of heart beats."

Sensui jumped into the air, and kicked Yusuke in the chest. He punched him after that, and then another punch. San's blood was boiling. Hiei's dragon was threatening to come out. Kurama wielded his rose whip and San's powers flared up. Kuwabara fell to his knees.

"Why now? Why? It doesn't fit the rules," he said, "I get this power right when we need it. But then I can't reach it, how can that be right?" Yusuke was still getting beat, "I'm supposed to get strong from seeing him hurt, hit new levels. Alright power, up and save the day!" The blows Yusuke was receiving were really wearing him out, "NO! We've survived too much for it to end this way... Don't you get it? There's been a scheme, a reason for it all. We've learned. NO! What the hell can be the reason for this?" Kuwabara's sorrow really drove him to helplessness. he began to power up, and San took her eyes off the brutal beating of Yusuke to stare in astonishment. His energy level was incredible. San was distracted by Sensui's energy.

"Well, Yusuke, I hope you've found peace," she faintly heard the enemy's voice. Kuwabara began to glow, his sword emerging slowly.

"I've done all I can, finish him Sensui!" yelled Itsuki, knowing that he was beaten. San snapped her eyes back to the fight while Kuwabara struck the Reverse Man. A hideous cry was heard as the three demons and two humans came out of the dimension. San could see Sensui heading toward Yusuke. He was just standing there as they came towards him. San's eyes widened as Sesnui's blow struck her friend, her brother. He fell, lifeless to the ground as she watched helplessly. He was dead, she could no longer sense him. She stood, unable to move, tears falling from her face.

"He can't..." Kuwabara trailed, taking a step forward.

"Trial of humanity," said Sensui, "The defense rests."

"Come on... Stop clowning around... Prankster," Kuwabara was trying to reason, "I get it, it's payback for me tricking you with Toguro," he walked over to his friend, "Good one. Too bad I'm not as gullible as you. Big lame-o. And I mean hey, I've just covered up your mouth and nose. You can't complain right, dead guys don't got to breathe? Look, you played the motivator and it's worked, I broke us out. Now let's beat Sensui together and go home. Come on, I'm not dumb. See, you can't hide the sound of your hear..." but all his illusions shattered when he could no longer hear the heartbeat of Yusuke Urameshi.


	47. Slim Chances

San stood over Yusuke's body, beside her mate. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she continued to store his features in her memory. She wished there was more she could do, but it was so hard to believe that he would actually be willingly die like that. They had been through so much in the past year. Over time, he had become just like a brother to her. She thought of him so, and she had failed once again to save her brother. She lost another member of the pack because of her weakness, and inability to overcome something so trivial. There was a way to get to him faster, and she was too weak to figure it out. She wasn't strong enough, even with these new powers. Memories kept running around in her mind, memories of the times she spent with Yusuke.

...

_"You have to remember to throw your energy with the weight of your punch. Let's try it again," she tells him._

_"I know how to throw my weight into a punch, how the hell do you think I became the toughest kid in town?" Yusuke replies to her._

_"I'm not talking about ordinary weight, Yusuke, I'm talking about your reiki. It's one thing to have it powered up, its another to use it. Do it again."_

_He runs up to her, laying a devastating blow to her cheek. She is not phased, having prepared and blocked, "Better. Let's go now, Genkai will want some time with you before lunch."_

_..._

_"You have to be aware of your surroundings. Street fighting won't help you against demons," she speaks._

_"What do you mean? I kicked the shit out of Rando, didn't I?" he protests._

_"Yusuke, you can't win everything by luck. You may face a demon that has complete control over its power. It would kill you in an instant if you kept just trying to throw a shit load of punches in the way."_

_"What would you know?"_

_"I'm a demon you idiot. I'm a wolf as well, so I know all about harnessing my senses."_

_"I'm not wearing that stupid blind fold."_

_"Yes you will. Or else Genkai will put you back in with the snakes."_

_"Stupid old lady," he mumbles._

_"What was that?"_

_"Nothing."_

_..._

_"Spirit Gun!" he bellows, firing a shot at her._

_She moves easily, using her speed, "I've already seen that one. Try another one using your reiki."_

_"What do you mean another one?"_

_"You really haven't developed any other attack?"_

_"Of course not! That one works just fine."_

_She sighs._

_"What?"_

_"Yusuke, how many fingers do you have?"_

_"You mean you don't know? What the hell kind of human posing demon are you?"_

_"How many?"_

_"Five! What's with the math lesson?"_

_"Very good!" she speaks in a dry voice, "So if you can use one finger to fire a shot, wouldn't it be logical to think that you can use all your fingers?"_

_"No..."_

_"Just try it. But when you do, try to fire all five shots at the same time."_

_He glares at her, but closes his eyes in concentration. His fingers are all glowing with his power, "Spirit gun!" and all five shots are released with his words. He smiles, "I did it! I did it San!"_

_She smiles at him, "That's the shot gun. Genkai will want to see you now," but her words fell on deaf ears. She smiles, feeling pride within herself._

_..._

_"What are you doing? You can't mix those two spices together!" she yells at him._

_"Why not? I like them both, I'm sure they'll taste great together," he says._

_"They clash. You can have one on this dish and that on another, just don't mix them."_

_"And what if I do?"_

_She shrugs, "It's your second funeral."_

_"Hey! I've been taking care of myself for years, I'm damn sure that I'll be able to cook just fine."_

_"Genkai!"_

_"Let him ruin it. He can eat it himself," their mentor yells back to them._

_..._

_"Hey San? Why are you here in the human world?" he asks. It is night, and they are ready to sleep._

_"I ran here cause I was being chased. Demon hunters, they hunt us for the fun of the kill. My mate, he brought us here, knowing that it was our only chance to escape. We were both incredibly powerful, it was careless of us to let this happen. We were severely weakened. He's out there somewhere, regaining his strength. I need to find him," she summarizes her tale._

_"Do you have any idea where he is?"_

_"No. But I'm sure he is not fully strong enough yet. It's okay though, he'll search for me as well."_

_"How long were you guys together?"_

_"Nearly 2000 years."_

_"2000 years?"_

_"Yes."_

_"How old _are _you?"_

_She smiles, "Now Yusuke, you know its not polite to ask a lady her age."_

_..._

_"You're not focusing! Do it again!" she yells, frustrated that they had made no progress in the past hour._

_"I can't!" Yusuke snaps back._

_"It's not like I'm asking for much, just give me another shot gun."_

_"I'm not full of energy like you!"_

_"No, but I know you have enough to at least give me one more."_

_"Look lady, I haven't slept for days and I'm exhausted and I have a huge head ache!"_

_She sighs, "You'll learn to push past other distractions, now is the time to start."_

_"Or maybe I'm not cut out for this."_

_"Koenma wouldn't have sent you here if you weren't."_

_"He only gave me my life so that I'd be one of his henchmen."_

_"That's not true. A Rekai Tantei is chosen for a unique energy signature that cannot be matched by any mere mortal."_

_"Why me?"_

_"Nobody knows. But that is why you need this training, you need to tap into what makes you so special."_

_"Do you think I'll get far without dying again?"_

_She looks at him curiously, "I think you'll do just fine," she assures him, and she really believes it."_

_..._

_"Hey, I love this show!" Yusuke declares, and plops in front of the television._

_"This is stupid," she tells him, and reaches for the remote._

_"You're stupid! Don't change that channel!"_

_"Too bad, dipshit. I'm not going to subject myself to this crap."_

_"Don't you two have something better you could be doing?" their mentor asks them, her hands on the remote._

_"No," they answer a little too quickly. They don't realize that it is the wrong answer, however._

_"Good. Go back into the forest and get some more training in."_

_..._

_"Why are you pushing yourself like this, Yusuke?" she asks him._

_"Didn't you feel it, San? His power... he can crush me. And if I don't beat him, everyone I know will die," he tells her._

_"Not without a fight we won't," she assures him._

_"I... I'm not even sure that all of us combined could even beat one of his arms."_

_"Yusuke, you have power coming out your asshole. You just need to learn how to reach it."_

_"Even then, how will I know its enough?"_

_She smiles, "Because we always win."_

_..._

_We always win. _But that didn't seem to be true now. Yusuke was dead, and the four of them probably didn't stand a chance against Sensui. She knew it, but she would fight anyway. There was maybe a small chance that they could win, but they would never know. Besides, she couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Yusuke would kill her in Rekai if that happened. She wouldn't let that happen. She would die trying to fight off this asshole, and prove that she wasn't weak. Her eyes hardened at the sound of his voice.

"There is little time for closing arguments. The tunnel is open," said Sensui, "Are any of you brave enough to lead the way? Attempt to finish what your late friend could not?" The demons from the tunnel were starting towards them, desperate for their blood.

"Sure. Bravery's the only thing we got left," said Kuwabara. Hiei's bandaged arm was revealed, the dragon looking like a tattoo wrapped around his arm. His jagan was open, and he was ready. San felt her power increase with her mate's and she looked over, seeing Youko standing there and also ready. She knew that she had reverted to herself, to Moriko, the beast within. She felt herself change and stood proudly, and also ready. The three demons charged, darkness flame wrapped around Hiei's arm, a fox and a wolf running for their prey. She had to avenge her brother. And then Kuwabara was there with them. Hiei unleashed his dragon, but Sensui's energy blocked it.

"Here's a one way ticket for you straight to hell you bastard!" yelled Hiei. His dragon could not penetrate the sacred energy, but it drove the asshole away. All those demons died instantly, not standing a chance, as the dragon burst its way towards the tunnel. They followed it, not wanting their enemy to get away.

"Guys, where are we going?" asked Kuwabara.

"We're going in," said Youko. They traveled into the tunnel, Moriko's rage blinding her. She didn't remember this part of the journey 15 years previous. There was a lot on her mind then, and she didn't have time to observe the scenery.

"Where are we? In demon world?" asked Kuwabara.

"No, we're in the pseudo space," Moriko looked over at her mate. He sounded different to her for some reason, "The neutral zone between the two worlds. A limbo."

"Right, you cracked open the iron box and turned back into your foxy self."

"I'm not Youko, I've merely taken on the appearance of my demon form while retaining my human personality. It's a side effect of this increasing demon energy."

"I thought so. Youko really has nothing to do with Yusuke and this fight," said Moriko calmly.

"There he is," interrupted Hiei. Moriko looked forward, seeing her prey and narrowing her tawny eyes.

"Whoa, it's like being inside of a video game," said Kuwabara.

"No, trust me, its not."

"What is that?"

"It's the kakai."

"How the hell did he make it through here?"

"I'm glad you asked. As you remember, my energy is of the sacred kind. Fortunately, the brains in Reikai only made this to filter out demon energy. That's why I passed through unscathed, while Hiei's attack burned out because of the net," said Sensui. He was standing there on the other side of the kakai, "But you and your friends should take some consolation in the fact that this kakai is only sensitive to the energy A and S class demons. Which means that in killing your friend, I awakened the potential in all three of you, that one that you all dreamed of. Your silence is all the thanks I need. Ironically though, your powers are finally strong enough to match me, you can't get close."

Kurama was walking up the barrier. Moriko wondered what he was thinking, trying to keep in mind that this was his human brain, not the one of the demon that she couldn't quite feel at this point.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Kuwabara asked him. His question was ignored. Kurama touched the barrier, being stopped in his tracks. She felt minimal pain in her fingers, and he licked the wound. "He's right, we're trapped," but that voice was of Youko, not the human.

"The only way you'll get to me and satify Yusuke's dying wish is if Kuwabara can summon up the Jigen Tou again," said Sensui.

"Ha. Yeah, well I'm a 100% human, so I can still make it through on my own," said Kuwabara.

"Urameshi couldn't take down his opponent. What makes you think you stand a chance in hell?"

Kuwabara began running towards the barrier, "We'll see when we get there!" he declared, summoning up his spirit sword. He sliced the barrier with ease, creating a path for them to go through. "I can handle you myself. But this way, even if I die, they can still use your skull as an urn for Urameshi's ashes." How considerate of him.

Hiei began the charge. running for all his speed, as Sensui floated away it looked like, "This is where you end, Sensui!" yelled Hiei. Moriko followed suit, with Kurama and Kuwabara behind her. Sensui was fast, she granted him that, but that didn't mean she couldn't catch up.

"Where's he taking us now?" asked Kuwabara, getting fed up with only seeing Sensui and not being able to attack. Although, that might just be the way she felt. Patience, its supposed to be in her nature. Moriko watched, seeing the door to her home land, and Sensui going through it, "What's that?"

"The exit," answered Youko. She wondered why he came out. This wasn't something he would usually involve himself in. They went through the gate, Moriko seeing her home, Makai, once again. They were free falling in the air, watching as Sensui made no attempt to stop himself. He was just observing Makai.

"Hey, does anybody notice that we're falling very, very, very, very fast?" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"Hiei, do you know where in Makai we are?" asked Youko.

"Yes, I believe I've been to these parts before. If I'm right, then we're rather lucky. It's the forest of fools, just low level demons who won't present any challenge to us," replied the small fire apparition.

"I know we're about to die and all, but I really hate it when you guys ignore what I have to say!" Kuwabara yelled.

Youko then wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close, as his other hand glowed. He unleashed the purple glider, known as hishou in her clan, "Hold on tight," he told the other two, as the hishou released vines for Kuwabara and Hiei to gran onto. The ending result was the looks of butterfly wings on his back, as he held his mate close to him. He commanded the vine to wrap around her waist, but his arm didn't move, ensuring her safety.

"Fox and a buttefly? Is there any animal you can't metamorph into?" asked Kuwabara.

"I haven't turned into a butterfly," Youko explained calmly, "This is merely the leaf of a plant, doubled into a glider."

"Look at the cocky punk just free falling without a care in the world. I bet he wishes he had something to catch him now." Moriko watched as Sensui was becoming smaller as the seconds passed. Finally, she saw the golden glow of his energy, and he was back up in an instant. "What'd he do?"

"You begin to see what my sacred energy is really capable of. I don't have a bag of tricks or a packet of seeds, and I don't need them. I can fly without enemies attached, without even the help of maker. That's why they call me black angel. If we lived in less cynical times, the gift I'm preparing for the world might be labelled for what it really is, a miracle," said Sensui.

"You think you can really scare us with all that 'holy one' crap?" yelled Kuwabara.

Moriko remained silent.

"Does he really believe we'd turn around after all we've been through?" asked Youko in a mocking tone of voice.

"Who cares what he is, as long as he's dead!" declared Hiei, his dragon powering up again.

"I admire you electric enthusiasm, Hiei, but I don't want to hurt these beautiful woods, so why don't we finish this fight over there?" Sensui suggested, pointing to the Plateau of the Beheaded, behind the Gusha Forest. Perfect.

"Oh I see, the Plateau of the Beheaded. A fitting battle ground indeed. Come to think of it, it's giving me some ideas," mused Hiei. Kuwabara said something Moriko could not hear, seeing as her mate released the hold on her. The four of them dropped down before Sensui, and immediately began battle.

"This is not something I usually do..." began Sensui, as the demons and Kuwabara were running to get their best shot, "...fighting opponents who I know have no chance of beating me. But I'm making an exception for you. To offer some model of peace that you at least tried to avenge your friend's death before succumbing to your own," and his charge made them jump back.

"Oh come on now, is that supposed to impress us?" asked Kuwabara, beginning his charge again. Sensui's glow increased, and Kuwabara was knocked back. Moriko gasped. The depths of this power was intense, nothing like she thought it would be. After the glow was gone, Sensui was covered in what he called-

"Sacred Energy Armor! The great thing about this armor is that it not only strengthens my defenses, but boosts my offense as well! You can't rank up to me. I'm a living, breathing tank!"

"Well, I think you might want to consider spinning your turret around," said Youko in his menacing voice. Sensui looked and Hiei's dragon was being unleashed again. He was willing to die, and that was impressive. The dragon burst forth, and then was absorbed once again. Finally, rapid punches to Sensui from the small fire apparition. They didn't even phase him, as Sensui delivered a punch and a kick, sending the demon away. Youko was next, running towards his prey with great speed. Kuwabara ran also, charging his sword. Youko surrounded his arm in the- "Binding Fist of the Demonic Vine!"

"And I think you know this one!" declared Kuwabara, the both of them attacking at once. Sensui dodged the sword and used another attack on Youko.

"Twisted Twistor!" Sensui declared. Moriko growled, feeling the pain of her mate. She too charged, using her speed to appear in front of him.

"Zassou Madness!" she yelled, releasing small, poisonous lumps of leaf hard as diamonds and explosive into Sensui's face. She couldn't see through the explosions, but felt a deafening kick behind her head, the world going fuzzy for a moment. She didn't know where she was as she hit the ground, but her attention snapped up just in time to see Hiei's sword stuck against Sensui's armor. Another thunderous kick and Hiei went sailing. Youko was helping her to her feet, trembling to hold himself up. Kuwabara just getting ready to get up and Hiei struggling to his feet.

"Nothing worse than not being strong enough. It only prolongs the inevitable conclusion. But be sure, this will be your inevitable conclusion, no matter how long it takes us to reach it," said Sensui. His words were infuriating. She wasn't going to stand for this.

"So... anyone got an idea?" asked Kuwabara.

"I'm sorry you feel to much dedication to your misguided cause," said Sensui, "It pains me, for your hearts are noble. I used to be a pawn, like all of you. It's not too late to save yourself."

"You know, I gave up worrying about dying a long time ago, Sensui. And I can't even care about the lots of pain that involves getting there, as long as I take your heart along with me when I go. So you better be ready to meet your doom!" declared Kuwabara, summoning his sword.

He ran at his enemy again, and that was the cue for the others. Hiei disappeared, and Youko began his own charge. Moriko ran also, getting ready herself. She had to try something else, something that could penetrate his armor. Youko unleashed his super rose whip, Hiei had his darkness sword, and Moriko had a giant ball of black energy. Kuwabara was first, but Sensui moved swiftly, punching his opponent out of the way. Youko used his whip, but Sensui caught it, pulling the fox towards him and then kicking Youko. Moriko was next, letting her ball of black energy explode on both of the and then trying again with a Ryuu plant this time, but to no avail. She was sent spiraling away. Lastly, there was Hiei and his demon flame sword. But Sensui used Youko's whip to lash onto the sword and sent Hiei away. It seemed hopeless. How could they beat him? She couldn't even get to her feet. She saw Youko there, and he grabbed her hand. It felt almost like the time 15 years ago when they were separated.

"I apologize if I happened to have caused you any harm," said Sensui.

"Kill us if you're going to. Just spare us the sound of your voice," said Hiei, giving up on his feet entirely.

"Your physical strength is greater than ours at the moment. That's all," said Youko.

"Unfortunately, that's the only thing that matters here in the Makai," Moriko finished faintly.

"I am merciful. I want to relieve you of your misery," said Sensui. It seemed as if he would attack, but Moriko caught a whiff of something she couldn't believe was true, followed by massive demon energy. It was coming from the Ningenkai. She struggled to stand, to witness what she thought she was feeling. Youko helped her, and they saw approaching a giant spirit animal carrying Koenma and Yusuke. He was alive!

"I'm sorry I got delayed. Traffic was a bitch," said Yusuke. Moriko smiled. Where would they be without his comments or sarcasm? This was amazing, the mazuko was alive within him. The power was crazy, and she finally felt like there was a chance of winning.


	48. A Means to an End

"I'm sorry I got delayed. Traffic was a bitch," said Yusuke. Moriko smiled. Where would they be without his comments or sarcasm? This was amazing, the mazuko was alive within him. The power emitting from him was intense, and she felt secured for the first time since this whole battle had started. Yusuke came to the ground, staring down his enemy, Koenma and Puu at his side. At least, Moriko assumed it was Puu.

"Impossible..." trailed Sensui.

"Is... that him...?" said Hiei in shock.

"How remarkable," Moriko stated.

"Some friends you are. Ditching a guy when he's down and then hoggin' the bad guy all to yourselves. I got to admit, I'm disappointed at you jerks. Did you honestly think I'd just lie there and let you guys fight my battles for me? Give me a break," said Yusuke, walking up to them.

"Urameshi!" yelled Kuwabara, "But you were... you were definitely dead, I swear it. You're heart stopped beating, I double checked!"

"Yeah, I can't explain that. In fact, my ticker's still not tickin', I guess I should be worried, huh?"

Moriko burst out laughing, just as Youko and Hiei did. Yusuke began to laugh to.

"You'll get used to that," said Youko, "You see, demon hearts don't beat in the conventional human sense."

"Demon?" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"Yes, demon," said Koenma, walking over to them as well.

"I-I keep hoping I'll wake up soon," said Kuwabara.

"It's no dream. Yusuke has had dormant blood inside him. Mazuko blood, which explains a few things, I'd say."

"Funny story. One of my ancestors way back was this mazuko guy. So when I died, I was able to come back, but like him," said Yusuke. Kuwabara was outraged.

"So you are a demon?" said Kuwabara.

"Raizen," Moriko stated. They all looked at her in question, "He was the one who mated with a kinswoman of yours. He's been hoping for you're awakening soon."

"Raizen?" Youko questioned, wondering how his mate knew such a demon.

"Transmigration," Sensui put in before anyone could ask her further, "The atavism of the mazuko."

"That's correct," confirmed Koenma.

"I had no idea you were one of us, Yusuke. How's it feel to be so superior?" asked Hiei.

"Uhh... Honestly, I don't really feel all that different now. I mean, I haven't sprouted horns or extra eyes yet. But I do have this sudden burning desire to tear this guy to pieces. So how about it Sensui? Ready to feed some worms?" Yusuke's attention.

"Back off, Yusuke. We're in the middle of something, and I've suddenly discovered my second wind," said Hiei.

"No Hiei, I will take him," said Youko, powering up.

"You both should know never to get in the way of a woman's work," Moriko smiled, her powers of darkness blazing.

"What is this? A prom date dispute? I mean, I'm sure Sensui's flattered by the popularity and all, but this is my damn fight. I hate to say it, Kuwabara, but you're the only one acting sane," said Yusuke.

But Kuwabara was powering up too. He jumped to his feet, "I'm ready! And better than ever! So stand back, cause I can kick his ass myself!"

"You do realize he'll be kicking back?" asked Hiei dryly.

"Yeah and after him, you're next!"

"There won't be a next."

"Shut up!"

Moriko smiled, seeing her mate hold his shoulder. She knew that fighting Sensui has awakened a new sense of vengeance in him. Even if it wasn't for Yusuke, he was fighting for a cause, and that was new to Moriko. They fought for survival, and for possession in the past, but now, here her mate stood, fighting for something more than that. To save another world, that was the goal here. Even Hiei, who damns all humans is standing here, fighting for them. It seemed amazing how everything changed so quickly. Her thoughts were interrupted, by Sensui powering up his sacred energy. Yusuke answered with his own power, his demon energy.

"I sense how strong you've all become. And I appreciate your help, but I need to finish this alone. You dig?" asked Yusuke, looking over his shoulder at them. Youko took the hand of his mate, and they nodded simultaneously.

"Knock him dead Yusuke Urameshi. But if you fail, know I've got your back," said Hiei. Yusuke began walking towards Sensui. The ending was coming soon, Moriko was just hoping that the ground of Makai could hold all of this energy. They were just flashes and blurs, and the wind was strong. Youko took her in his arms, protecting her from the debris. Finally, Yusuke fired his spirit gun and the crash was devastating. The problem was, it missed, and that seemed unlikely, since the black was huge.

"He must learn to adjust to his new powers," observed Youko.

"Yes, hardly a marksman like performance. Don't forget. If we've learned one thing fighting with Yusuke, it's that he adapts quickly to new circumstances to squeeze out a win," said Hiei.

"Hey! Don't waste any ammo!" yelled Kuwabara.

"Oh, right I forgot. I've only got one more shot left," and Yusuke's finger began to glow, "Well I hope I can save it for the after party."

Sensui began to power up again.

"There seems to be no limit to his power," Moriko spoke softly.

"Now what?" asked Hiei.

"Guess he doesn't like sarcasm," observed Kuwabara. Then, something else happened, "He's stripped off the sacred energy armor. But won't that make him easier to attack?"

"He's shifting strategies to offense," said Koenma. Yusuke then began emitting more demon energy. Then he turned to them for a moment.

"Puu, take them so that they can watch the fight from a safe distance. I have a feeling this is going to get pretty rough," said Yusuke. The animal answered with its own call. Sensui didn't wait before striking Yusuke. Koenma jumped up onto Puu's neck, while Hiei grabbed a talon. Moriko was about to grab the other when she felt her mate's arm snake around her waist and gently lift her off the ground. She smiled, feeling his other arm come around her, and she was held tightly against him.

The fighting continued, the demon masses falling as the detectives fought through them. The demons then came to fight, but they were so low that they died right when they reached the energy. A simple swat seemed to kill them just fine. Sensui then powered up and killed the rest of them. They seemed to talking for a bit, but then Sensui began his assault. All that could really be seen was a golden and red light dancing around each other. It produced a pure light, and they couldn't see anything. Then, the light faded, and the gold and red light was visible again.

"What the hell was that?" asked Kuwabara, as he was able to see again, "One minute, there was a rock ledge there. And now that those two are through, there's nothing but a pile of pebbles."

Moriko saw Yusuke point towards Elaphure Mountain. It was a small and narrow peak. Then, they were gone in the blink of an eye.

"They're moving," said Hiei.

"I still can't believe this giant beast of a bird used to be our cute little Puu," said Kuwabara.

"Well he's a reflections of Yusuke's soul. As Yusuke was reborn, so was Puu," explained Koenma.

"Urameshi didn't get all jumbo sized."

"Not on the outside."

"His power levels are the same as an S class, Kuwabara," Moriko told him in her soft voice. There was no time to ponder that, seeing as the fighting had begun before they were even halfway there. The detectives were very fast, and the peak was destroyed very quickly. They were oblivious, however, and continued to struggle with the other. The wind was dangerously strong, emitting from both of them.

"Okay, what are the odds of a tornado popping up right now," said Kuwabara.

"Quite good, considering the two of them caused it," said Koenma. The fighting continued, "Alright, well, we better pull back for now. The power they're generating is as good as two S class demons. We'll get fried if we stay too close."

The struggle continued as they retreated back away. It was hard to tell what was going on the ground. They moved fast and were too far away to hear anything. It appeared now that they were talking.

"I can't hear! What do you think they're talking about now?" asked Kuwabara.

"Who knows," said Hiei indifferently.

"As Yusuke's strength and abilities are continuing to evolve before us, I'm concerned about Sensui's change of demeanor. The weight has been lifted, as though this fight is what he desired all along," said Youko. No, his voice had changed. It was Kurama again. The fighting was over, there was no need for her mate to be present. It may even weaken him to be out for so long. She remained a demon though, which meant that these powers of darkness made her stronger. That, and the fact that she was feeding off Makai.

"The joy of a worthy foe, it's what I felt when I fought with Yusuke."

"That was before. Big deal," Kuwabara dismissed. They watched as the two opponents powered up their energy. Moriko felt something then, hearing Raizen's voice. It wasn't easy, but then she felt the old demon powering up within Yusuke. It was so subtle, she wasn't sure if the others could see it. But then, she saw as Yusuke transformed into his demon form. The marks of his tribe on his skin, his hair exactly as his kinsman. The way Yusuke resembled Raizen was amazing, and Moriko wondered if her brain was asleep around him the whole time.

"What in the hell is going on here? And what's with that hair?" asked Kuwabara, "Looks like he played with an electric socket."

"I don't know what could have triggered this, but it appears that Yusuke's body has finally accepted the transformation the mazuko desired," said Youko. Moriko knew what happened, but to tell them would just bring up more questions that she didn't feel like answering.

"Did you guys see that? Sensui tried to smile at our freaky half breed. He really is an arrogant creep, isn't he?" said Kuwabara.

"Pretty much, but that's besides the point," said Koenma, "It's not Yusuke's change that Sensui smirks at. Even from this vantage point, I can tell that Sensui's gone through a transcendent metamorphosis. A spiritual awakening, if you will."

"Spiritual awakening?"

"Back in the cave, his fighting was filled with such... loathing and callousness, self hatred. His heart was so dark, even for a bad guy. But now that's gone."

"Yes. As if he's suddenly come to terms with his place in the world. Achieved some sort of balance," confirmed Youko. The presence of a mazuko must be interesting to him. Either that, or he's struggling to stay out for her.

"What a jerk," said Kuwabara. The time for talk was over. Yusuke was powering up, the wind blowing menacingly. Lightning cracked from above, but Sensui just stood there. Finally, the newly found demon attacked, a devastating blow. Then it was all fast again, making it hard to see with all the power and smoke in the way. It appeared that Yusuke now had the upper hand, however, as Moriko saw Sensui being thrown around. His power was amazing, as much as Raizen back in his prime, before he stopped eating humans.

"Unreal. Completely unreal," noted Kuwabara.

"His ancestor must have been an extremely brutal and formidable warrior. As a mere human, Sensui doesn't stand a chance," said Youko.

"Let's hope so," said Koenma. After the smoke cleared again, Yusuke's hand was around Sensui's throat. He threw the human, getting ready for his shot, powering up. Moriko wondered why he hesitated. It was like he was struggling within himself. The shot was fired, but Yusuke's hair changed, and he regained control it seemed like.

"Out of the way dumbass!" Yusuke screamed, but that shocked the rest of them. Sensui just smirked, not caring to move. He was hit directly, the shot blowing him through the nearby forest and far away. Yusuke ran towards him.

"I don't get it, why's Urameshi having second thoughts all of a sudden? I mean, he hit his mark dead on, didn't he? It's what he wanted," said Kuwabara.

"Puu, take us down there. Now," commanded Koenma. They followed the trail, and it was huge.

"Look at that, Urameshi's spirit gun cut a path through half the forest. There's no way anyone could still be alive after getting hit by something like that," said Kuwabara. They finally reached the end, and landed. Moriko thought it was nice to have ground under her feet again.

"You can't be dead, not this way!" yelled Yusuke, struggling to wake up the other detective.

"What are you saying man? Has your brain gone as fuzzy as your head? We wanted him dead, and so did you," said Kuwabara.

"Whoever may have killed him, it wasn't me," said Yusuke.

"But we all saw you."

"It looked like me cause it was my body, but it wasn't me in there when it happened. I mean, it was, but it wasn't, do you understand?"

"Look Urameshi, I think you need some rest," but Moriko understood completely, and she'd have to speak with him. Sensui caughed up blood just then. He was still alive?

"He's alive. Kurama, San, can you use some kind of healing plant on him? He's not dead, he just needs a boost."

"Unfortunately, I used up most of my energy when I was fighting him before. The most I can do for him now is something to ease his final pain," answered Youko.

"Damnit, what about you?" he turned to Moriko.

"I'm sorry. But it's the same with me," she replied sadly.

"What good are your new powers if you can't even use them? But if that's it, fine, just give him what you've got," he said.

"Gladly," replied Youko. This was a surprise. A great change, living as a human must have really taken a toll on him.

"That won't be necessary," said Itsuki's voice. He appeared in front of them, from another dimension it looked like. There were tears in his eyes, streaming down his face, "Please, just let Shinobu go."

"If I'm going to kill a human, even an evil one, it's at least got to be me pulling the trigger. I'll never know if it was me who made that choice."

"Don't torture yourself, Shinobu only had half a month to live, anyway." Well that was a surprise, "Shinobu was suffering from a rare and terminal disease. Dr. Kamiya confirmed that not even he could cure it. An ordinary person would have lost the fight a long time ago. But not Shinobu."

"Is this your idea of a joke?"

"He's telling the truth," Sensui spoke up weakly, "But I'm not making excuses for my loss. Your final attack Yusuke, with it you proved yourself to be much stronger than I."

"But, that wasn't even my power, I had no control over my body. You and I, we aren't finished yet. I need to know who's really stronger," Yusuke protested. Men.

"Trust me, consciousness exists on many levels. Part of you was ready to make the choice must have taken control. But it was definitely you, a demon you, that killed me."

"Damnit, you're not listening to me. It wasn't me, I can't be happy. I'll give you time to heal up. You take some pain killers now and we'll do it over!"

"Only Yusuke would want to fight a man after he's dead. Wake me up when its over," said Hiei, falling to the ground. Puu was there though, placing him on his back.

"Don't just stand there, Koenma. You've got to have some kind of powers that would bring him back."

"I did, but unfortunately, they were stored in my pacifier which I drained empty in the cave trying to stop him," said Koenma, "He's the author of his own fate once again. I doubt I would've had enough energy even before the mafuuken spell, I drained so much power on the way down."

"What? Is this a confession?"

"Sort of. I ran across Amanuma, and well..."

"So you wasted it all saving that brat kids life?"

"Pretty much."

Sensui started to laugh then.

"You think that's funny?"

"Since I realized your mafuuken would be my greatest obstacle, I arranged Amanuma's death to drain your energy. You were already riddled with guilt over me. I knew you would feel compelled against all logic to save the boy. It was the only way I could ensure my ultimate passage to Makai," explained Sensui.

"Shinobu. I do not understand why coming to this place would matter so much to you. You went through so much trouble and risk and destruction of all Ningenkai to get here. Why?"

"Because its home. Home to the apparitions whom I've been taking life from since I was a child. When I was younger, I always wondered. Why me? Why do these horrible creatures pick only on me? Why do they hate me? Why do they want me to die? But I was a child, I never tried to ask them. I never gave them the chance to speak. Instead, I improved my fighting techniques while I grew to hate them more, and wanted them to die even more. When I became a spirit detective, they told me they are not like us, so they must be against us. Their difference threatens our sameness, it is us versus them. Humans are good, and demons are bad. We are just, and they are unjust. But I was an adolescent, and did not even think to question such simple binary's. I could not have been more wrong. I discovered the humans I was sworn to protect were in truth the greater monsters, and if that were so, then I had to question everything of the monsters I'd been fighting. My world turned inside out. The truths I'd held to be irrefutable, were all inverted. When I learned that I was going to die, I needed to collapse the boundaries between us and them, thus, the tunnel. And then I could come here to die. I thought if I could see the world through their eyes, be a stranger in a strange land, then maybe I could understand them better, and thus understand myself. Dying by demon hands, I could then make penance for my sins. But then I saw you, Urameshi. First demonized in a humans body, and then humanized in a demon's. You dissolve the barriers between us in ways I'd never imagined. Now I can finally rest."

"Shinobu..."

"Urameshi. You are the justice I could never find. Great changes will come through you. Someday when you're lying in my position, you'll know a dying man's need for closure. But until then, thank you," and then Sensui's eyes closed, and he released his last breath. Moriko actually let out a tear for this human. The answering lightning was oddly appropriate.

"I'll take you myself."

"I won't let you," said Itsuki, "Shinobu's dead, you got the end you desired, so don't you think he deserves the same? He devoted the last ten years to refuting everything you believe in. He didn't live by your standards, and he certainly didn't want to die by them," Itsuki knelt down beside Sensui, "So I won't let you take him to Rekai for you to judge him in your way. See, being defeated by the mazuko was exactly the cathartic jolt he needed to solve his inner turmoil, and pay off his guilt. He finally conquered those six personalities and emerged as Shinobu, his original, untainted self. So in a way he's already been redeemed and doesn't need you people to do it for him," Itsuki began to glow just then. The portal to his other dimension opened, and he lifted Sensui in his arms.

"Where will you take him?"

"Somewhere his soul won't be subjected to your overbearing scorn and judgement. Where it will be safe from hypocritical traitors who train a boy to be a killer and the hunt him down for being one as a man. You people do not deserve Shinobu's soul. Your Rekai will have to create another enemy so you can keep on fighting. That is, after all, what you do. But Shinobu and I grow weary of that. We are going to spend the rest of eternity together, in solitude," Itsuki was disappearing through his portal, "And in peace," was faintly heard as they were gone.

Moriko was stunned at the devotion of Itsuki. It reminded her of her own pack, and the ways in which she was educated. Yusuke finally noticed the excess hair, but she was off in her own world, not caring at that present moment what was going on. The battle was over, and that left her in a sort of trance, like she was dreaming. She almost thought it was like a vision, but there wasn't anything dancing in front of her, no figures to choose from, and no third person observation. This was just the feeling of peace, and yet, the woods were trying to tell her something. There was a sensation in her mouth, and she could smell water. She could also smell something else, but couldn't pinpoint what it was that she was smelling. She closed her eyes, trying to see it with her mind. All she could see was a monstrous tree. That's why this forest was so familiar. She smiled, but then heard them speak about how the tunnel would be sealed quickly. Still, why pass up on this opportunity? She put her hand in her mate's, gaining his attention.

-And with whom am I speaking to? Shuuichi? Or Youko?- she spoke in his mind. But she didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"Beloved..." he spoke softly in her ear. She smiled, keeping his hand in hers firmly and leading him away.

"Hey! Didn't you guys hear Koenma! We'll be stuck here for hours!" Kuwabara called to them.

"Let them go," said Koenma.

"But! You just said!"

"I know what I just said."

"But!"

"Kuwabara, leave them alone. They'll be back with plenty of time to go home, just let them have their time. It's probably been a while since they could come home together," said Yusuke.

Kuwabara grumbled, muttering something Moriko could no longer hear.


	49. Uneasy Peace

Youko and his mate walked at a leisurely pace. Time didn't matter at this point. He knew where she was taking him. It had been years since they had come here. It was sacred to them, the beginning of their eternity. He picked up the pace, engaging her in a run. She smiled, taking off before him. She was always faster than him, but she never strayed too far ahead. He watched his goddess before him, not really caring for the run, just her smile as she did so. Her tawny hair was shining in the breaks of sun, the mark on her shoulder blade shining brightly. Their speeds were high, and it made getting to their destination quite quick.

They came to a stop, staring at the tree. Moriko smiled, walking up and finding her entrance way. They enter, neither of them sensing any other presence. She goes to observe her former den, while he made sure there wasn't any traps lying around. It felt strange to be here again. Everything was left the way it was before. A thick layer of dust coated everything, but that was to be expected. They walked into her old bedroom, where they used to spend most of their time. They didn't speak, memories were flooding their minds. A very particular one came to her, and she went in search of it, leaving her mate confused. She emerged quickly, her hands holding a small portion of Pralla seeds. He nodded, and she stowed them away in her clothes.

She gazed into his golden eyes. They seemed to say what she wanted them to say, so she walked up to him. He kissed her, taking her hand and leading her astray. She smiled, and almost too eagerly walked with him to what she suspected was their next destination. She could smell it, even over the rotting flesh of her birthplace. They arrived at the pool under the waterfall. It hadn't changed, waterfalls being what they are and all. That didn't matter though. They began to undress, and then, both plunged head first into the water.

They played a great deal, laughing and enjoying their time. As always, they raced to the cave inside the waterfall. Moriko surfaced, having won again. She had a strong suspicion that he let her win each time, but chose not to make an issue of it. They were just little things that made him happy. The seal of the wolf clan still hung there, as if it was just placed there a few hours ago. It was a symbol of their unity, and they knew it would hang there so long as they were with each other.

He kissed her then, with a fire in his belly. She responded positively, her senses reeling at his touch. They both lost control, happily giving into their desires. They mated in this sacred place. They knew they had time, despite their warning. Even if they were trapped here, they were sure they would be able to get back. She laid in his arms, her naked body pressed against his. He was stroking her hair lovingly, as he kissed the top of her head. She smiled, her memories bringing her to another state of bliss.

"I love you, my precious kitsune," she spoke softly.

"I love you... forever," he whispered in her ear. She snuggled her head into him, and he hugged her tighter. They sit like that for hours, but in reality, it is just a few minutes.

"Youko?"

"Yes koishii?"

"Why is it your presence was not absolute since we arrived here?"

"My power. It was not strong enough to remain," he then gave her a sly look, "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

She actually managed to look guilty, "I just thought I would give it a try."

"I could feel your power within me once you realized our surroundings."

"It was my suspicion. I thought perhaps that maybe you did not care for Yusuke's battle."

"In truth, the humans mean nothing to me. I just wanted to be out with you."

She smiled, kissing him once more. She sighed then, "It's sad that we cannot stay here."

"Yes, koishii. But one day, we'll return for all of eternity."

"We should head back."

"Not just yet, beloved," he said, kissing her deeply again.

...

_She stands in the moonlight, drinking in it's view. There is a calm over her, a sense of peace. There is no reason to hunt, now is a time of reflection. She lays a hand on her abdomen. She could feel her young stirring inside of her. She senses them for days, but dares not make contact with them. She has come a long way since the beginning of her days. There is no remorse about leaving, however, she is content with the outcome. She smiles, feeling his presence at her back. His arms wrap around her slender frame. She leans back, enjoying his warmth. An endless bliss always occupies her mind at his thought, his touch._

_"I had wondered where you went, beloved," he speaks softly in her ear._

_"I hope I did not worry you. I felt the moon's energy, and it seemed to beckon to me," she replies. She does not look away from the gorgeous image before them._

_"I understand, koishii," he kisses her cheek. He then moves his hand to lay atop hers, where the young grow, "Have you made any contact with them?"_

_She shakes her head slowly, "No, I'm not sure I wish to know about them. I may just wait and find out."_

_He laughs then, "That is most unusual."_

_She shrugs, "Wolves don't care about such terms."_

_"Then why are some things so important to you? Things that seem so tedious and trivial?"_

_"Those are customs. They must always be observed."_

_"I will never understand."_

_"I intend to keep it that way."_

_"Must you always be so cryptic?"_

_She nods, "It's the way of the wolves to be cryptic."_

_He smiles, "I love you."_

_She turns, "And I love you, my precious kitsune," and then she kisses him once more._

...

San sat atop her favourite tree in Genkai's forest. She enjoyed the breeze of a nice day, and yet, she was also bored. It seemed that all the excitement disappeared with Sensui's body. She didn't understand why she felt so bored now. Wolves liked to avoid conflict, didn't like to fight unless they had to. She assumed it was the human in her. She wondered about that, having trouble understanding humans as it was. Why were they so emotional? At least they weren't very dull, craving action all the time. She thought back to the time she spent in her demon form. She was able to revert back and forth now, without a problem. The spirit cuffs were off, her power was flourishing nicely. She was already immensely powerful with them on, and now that they were off, that power was through the charts. She knew she was at least an S class now, she just wondered where on the list she was. She didn't bother to ask Koenma, who was at the temple a lot because of the treason to his father. Yukina had also come to live there, searching for Hiei. She didn't know she was searching for Hiei, but life was complicated like that. San wondered why Hiei was so adamant about speaking to his sister. Why hide the truth? She supposed it was because he didn't care for family. Then again, she knew quite a bit about the ice apparitions, and the fact that Hiei was male said enough.

"Hey, San?" she froze, hearing a voice. She then realized it was Yusuke. She let her guard down again, this was bad.

"What's up?" she turned to her otouto. Yes, ever since his second death, that was how she thought of him, as her little brother.

"I just... I need some advice."

"About...?"

"This.. thing that's happened to me."

She blinked, "About you being a demon?"

"Sort of. It's like... I'm not myself. Everyone is getting back to their lives, going to school and shit. I just don't feel like I belong here."

"Probably don't. I don't exactly know that you need from me?"

"Well... You kinda went through the same thing, how did you deal with it?"

"Yusuke, I'm still a demon. I didn't possess or merge with a human, I just have the same form at the moment. I created this image and forced myself into it."

He looked confused, "But... Kurama said that sometimes your judgement is off because you're learning to deal with human emotions."

"Oh. That's the part you're having trouble with."

"Well... yeah..."

She pondered this for a moment, "I'm not really sure, Yusuke. I mean, it's hard to put into words. It takes time, but eventually, after a few years, I'm sure you could get it together."

He groaned, "I knew you would say something like that. I asked grandma, but all she told me was to go see the spirit detective before Sensui. Said that the two of us were pretty much alike."

"The second Rekai Tantei. Sounds interesting, mind if I tag along?"

He laughed, "Actually, funny part about that is, she told me that you should go check in on the other psychics to make sure they aren't causing any more mischief. She wants a full report by the end of the day."

It was her turn to groan, "Of course..."

"Looks like you're still completing your training huh?"

She sighed, "Yeah. Since the cuffs came off, I've been unstable. Kurama and Hiei could sense my power from miles off, and Genkai didn't want me attracting attention here. Not that anyone would really coming, knowing and S class demon was here, but her main concern was the SDF. She didn't want me to tangle with them."

"Yeah, Koenma told me that they want my head. King Enma was paying a hefty price for it."

"You should be careful, Yusuke. They're a force to be reckoned with."

"You sound just like pacifier breath, you know that?"

"Yusuke, one of them was a demon hunter, and is the reason I'm here with my mate. The bastard brags about how he cornered us."

"Really? I'm surprised you haven't killed him yet."

"Waiting for the best opportunity."

"There should be one soon. I know I sure as hell don't want to be on the receiving end of your revenge. Especially with how your power jacked up. If it makes you feel any better though, I could barely tell your level when I got here."

"You're a walking disaster. But thanks," she stood at that moment. "I suppose I should get started on my mission."

He stood as well, "Yeah. I gotta figure this out before it all goes over my head."

She hugged him then, putting him into shock, "Good luck. I hope your hunt goes well."

"Uh, thanks?" he was obviously confused by her affection lately. He hugged her back, however, like the sister he never had until now. She looked at him, and then, they both jumped away in opposite directions. She changed into her wolf form, knowing it would be faster to get around this way, sticking strictly to the forest. She thought about stopping in to see Kurama first, but she had seen him earlier in the morning, and knew that she'd see him again later on in the evening. The run actually helped her, made her feel so much more at ease. She could run for days like this, and life would feel good. It seemed like she hadn't changed into this form in a while, not really having a use for it as of late. But she still loved it, and how much faster she was. Hunting was also must more appealing this way. Her senses tripled, as if they weren't good already. She almost reached her destination, seeing her target a hundred feet away. But for some reason, they seemed blurred. She stopped, laid down. It was probably the shape change that was causing this. She wasn't used to looking at the world this way. She closed her eyes for a moment the world black under her eyelids.

...

Kurama was walking down the alley. The moon had risen, and the street lights were dim because of the rain. He was returning from Genkai's, wondering where his mate had gone to. He was worried, however. Genkai told him that she sent her on a mission a week and a half ago, and she hadn't returned yet. It wasn't an urgent one, but San had been through a lot lately, and he assumed that she was running, like she usually did to relax. But she would've at least checked in by now. He worried about these changes she had gone through lately. She was able to resume her demon form, she was now an S class, and her powers of darkness flourished freely through her body. He was proud that she was able to over some these obstacles, and train well enough to control herself. He just wished he could see her. He could feel something uneasy, even though there was a peace over the world. Uneasy peace, it wasn't something he wasn't expecting. Nor was he expecting the demons trailing along behind him. He stopped, turning towards them, his eyes narrowing.

"You must be stealthier than that to surprise me," said Kurama. There were three standing before him, "I hope you have good reason for approaching, stranger."

The demon in the middle reached into his clothing, and pulled something out, "For you," he spoke. The spirit orb floated towards Kurama, "A spirit orb from Lord Yomi."

Kurama gasped, "You said Yomi?"

"Our work is done," said the demon, and the three of them disappeared. Kurama grabbed the spirit orb, wondering what his former pack-mate could possibly have to say to him. He threw the spirit orb against a post, the shadow taking the form of his former friend and partner, Yomi.

"It's been a long time, Kurama. Too long. It's good to see you alive and well. Of course, I can't actually see you, this is actually just a spirit of words. But perhaps, I hope to meet you in person soon. Back when you knew me, neither of us was very powerful. But that's changed. I've grown stronger. Much stronger. Strong enough to rival with Raizen and Mukuro for the Makai," said Yomi. Kurama was surprised to hear that, gripping his make shift seat, "You remember those names, don't you? They were already in power when you left. Well, several hundred years ago, I joined their ranks. And now, I'm prepared for my next ascension. I'm planning to throne Makai and unify all Makai as one nation under me. But if I am to succeed this, I need your assistance, Kurama. And so, my friend, I plead with you to join my crusade. If you believe in the unification, then I beg you to return to us. Oh, and one more thing. I almost forgot to tell you, I apprehended the one who stole the light from me. I think you'll be amused as I when you see who it was. You'll see when you come back to the Makai, I guess," and he disappeared with those words. Kurama didn't have time to ponder that, however.

"An old friend of yours?" Hiei startled the fox.

"Hiei?"

Hiei smirked, "Caught you off guard. Now don't feel too special, you aren't the only one who received a midnight visitor. Messengers came to me as well, though in my case, they were sent by Mukuro."

"Mukuro?"

Hiei threw his spirit orb in the same place as Kurama's, "See for yourself," and just like Yomi, the shadowy image of Mukuro appeared before them on the wall.

"Greetings, Hiei. I am Mukuro. I would be here in person, but I seldom show my face in public. Not out of fear, but out of annoyance by being awed by adoring fans. Your recent appearance here has come to my attention. And I have to wonder... Why aren't you working for me? You could... be my right hand man. I'll let you in on a little secret you'll hear soon. Raizen's on the brink of death, and when he's gone, Yomi's full force will strike. He wishes for a unified universe. But you would already think about how that's disgusting. If I am correct in my assumption, join me."

"What a talkative and self important fool he is," said Hiei, "Was he always like that, Kurama?"

"Much worse. Mukuro has always been a dangerous, tyrannical ruler. You have no idea, Hiei, the damage Mukuro could do. Makai thrown into chaos," Kurama asnwered.

"Then I suppose this is going to be interesting. Well, I'm off to visit him now. Good-bye," said Hiei, turning his back on the fox. "You can breathe you know, I'm not going there to help him."

"Yes, that is good thinking. It will be beneficial for us to have a man on the inside whom Mukuro trusts. Just be sure to get as much information as you can without raising suspicions."

"Oh I'm sure I'll use him for everything I can. Maybe I'll see you there? On the opposing side?"

Kurama stood just then, "While I wish to not participate in a Makai war, I can't ignore Yomi's pursuit of a unified three worlds."

"Hn. I'm sure that has nothing to do with your past."

"No. Yomi went on his own path. Besides..." Kurama looked up to the sky, "...San is missing." and he jumped out of sight.

...

Kurama was on his way towards Genkai's temple. He hadn't seen or heard from San in nearly a week. He was hoping she had returned, he was really starting to worry. She at least would have left something to show she was around, but there was nothing. The many steps to the temple seemed to be endless, as if he was going nowhere. The moon was up and shining brightly, but the passage of time was long, as it always was when he worried about his mate. Where could she have gone? He knew that she wasn't in any pain, he would've felt it. How could anyone hope to compete with her? Wouldn't they feel her power? He stopped then. He was at the top, and he heard many familiar voices. An eerie wind blew. He increased his pace a little, following the way towards all the voices, hoping his mate was among them. Kuwabara, Yusuke, Yukina, Genkai, Botan, Koenma and Hiei. But there was also the scents of the SDF. What were they doing here?

"I was personally invited to return to Makai as well," Kurama heard Hiei speak.

"Don't tell me. You're going to fight on behalf of Urameshi's demon daddy too?" asked Kuwabara. He seemed to be taking the news well.

"Actually, it's the opposite. The invitation was from one of Raizen's major enemies. Mukuro."

"You really aren't going to accept that are you Hiei?"

"In fact, I am. I belong in the Makai world, not this one."

"Even if that means going up against your friend Urameshi while you're there?"

"If that is our destiny then so be it. After all, I always have wanted a re-match."

"Me too," Kurama took his cue.

"Kurama too?" questioned Kuwabara.

"My presence in Makai has also been requested. But in behest of the third ruler, Lord Yomi. An old acquaintance."

"I feel like the only one left at the dance."

"I'll be leaving for Makai myself. Probably sometime after Yusuke and Hiei do."

"I don't believe what I'm hearing! Have you all gone totally bonkers? I thought we had a good thing going. I thought we had a team! We were going to fight the good fight together! But it turns out you'll fight any fight, even if it means fighting each other! I considered you my friends, but you're no friends of mine."

"Somehow I think I'll manage to live with that," said Hiei.

"I'm going to kill you, you little punk!" declared Kuwabara, jumping off the balcony and about to lay a blow to Hiei.

"Stop," commanded Genkai, "We have no reason to believe they are abandoning the good fight."

"Get off it old lady, they're going to demon world. Fighting is all they do!"

"Kazuma, just because someone is born a demon doesn't necessarily make them evil. Or have you forgotten that I too am of Makai?" Yukina stepped in. Kuwabara gave up at that point. Yusuke jumped down just then, walking over to his friend.

"Listen pal," said Yusuke.

"What do you want with me traitor?"

Kurama couldn't hear their whispers. San would be able to if she were here. But then they began to speak up, Kuwabara never really being all that good with whispers.

"Another thing, do you think you could find Yukina's brother while you're there?"

Kurama smirked.

"Sure, if he happens to be there at the same time as me," Yusuke laughed, looking nervously over his shoulder at the now glaring fire apparition.

"Why does everyone get all weird and nervous when I bring up Yukina's brother?"

The question was left unanswered. And then there was Kuwabara's sister. Then, it was time to go. The SDF was preparing for Yusuke and Hiei's departure. The large spirit animal known as Puu was saying good bye to the departed. Kurama wasn't really expecting all of this to happen on a simple visit to Genkai's, but the fact that San wasn't here just proved that she hadn't returned yet. They were all waiting on Yusuke.

"Does anyone else think it's kind of ironic? That someone as strong as Sensui had to go through all that trouble to open up a hole to demon world, but these little weak security guards can do it with barely a snap of their fingers?" asked Yusuke.

"Urameshi," Kuwabara spoke up. Yusuke turned to look at his friend, "Forget what I said before. We may have chosen to follow different paths, but you and I will always be..."

"Kuwabara?"

"Sorry, I just got some dirt stuck in my contact lens, that's all."

"You don't wear contacts," said Shizuru.

"He doesn't?" said Botan confused. Kurama was sure San would wonder about that.

"The portal is ready now, sir," announced one of the female SDF officers.

"Well done. Alright Mr. Urameshi," said the one in command.

"Right," said Yusuke, "I guess that's my cue. Well, Kurama, Hiei... See you on the flip side," and Yusuke began his walk towards the portal.

"Oh Yusuke... You aren't really going to leave us, are you?" asked Botan near tears.

"I'm afraid so. So long guys," and Yusuke jumped into the portal. Botan cried while the others remained silent. The SDF began to seal the portal after him. Hiei would be the next to leave. Kurama watched, as Yukina asked her brother to find him. Kurama smiled slightly. It seemed this whole night was made out to be ironic. The fox watched as Hiei disappeared then. The SDF continued to seal the portal, while the others dispersed. There was nothing left to be said. Kurama walked up to Genkai. They walked into the dojo.

"Kurama," Genkai acknowledged.

"Genkai," Kurama nodded at his mate's mentor.

"I'm going to assume that San hasn't graced you with her presence either."

"Correct. I have not seen her since last week. Not a trace."

"She hasn't been here either. I sent her out to look in on the other psychics. She didn't come back."

"I was aware."

"I know, I wasn't finished yet."

"My apologies."

"As I was saying, she didn't come back. That points towards two things. One of them actually is still, for lack of a better word, evil. Or something happened to her on her way there or back. Either way, her disappearance and your recent summons to Makai seem to be quite the coincidence, don't you think?"

"But San couldn't get into Makai. She's an S class now, not a chance in passing the barrier. That also makes it hard to believe that she could be beaten."

"That also occurred to me. It leaves us at a stand still. I trust she can take care of herself, and I chose to remain here. I'm old, and Yusuke has my power. Going out to look for her wouldn't be beneficial to anyone now."

"I understand. I'll be leaving for Makai in two months. I'll try and look for her while I'm here."

"Thank you."


	50. Moving On

Thank you for everyone who reads and reviews, you are the ones who are inspiring and make it all worth the while :). We've been having a good run here, and I'm sure you all wish to see the rest of my portrayal of the story before I continue with the adventure after the Demon World Tournament. To illustrate the Kurama episodes, I've decided to make it all in his point of view. I figured this would be easier, hope you all enjoy it!

...

Phone call to Makai. Thanks to a clever patch I made before leaving. It enables my mother to call my while she is on her honeymoon. She still thinks I'm at the house. On a warm day in July, my mother, after raising me on her own for most of my human life remarried. The wedding was small, with only family and close friends. Kuwabara was present, but I'm sad to say, that San could not be there. My mother looked happy. Yusuke gave his regrets, leaving two months before. But I was glad he cared. I far from forgotten the risk he took to allow both my mother and myself to live. My wedding gift to them was an all expenses paid over the seas honeymoon for the full month of August. I sort of forced it on them for my own convenience. And now, two months after Yusuke and Hiei, and on the condition that it would only last for August, I made my trip to Makai, as a service and adviser to Yomi's army. I owe Yomi something, despite my feelings towards finding my mate, who is still missing.

I walked up a familiar path, seeing Yomi's castle in the distance. It was huge, making me wonder why he had such a creation. But I didn't have time to think about it, his welcoming party was ready to meet me. Three skilled ninja's it looked like. The power was severely low compared to mine. It was easy to jump out of the way. They ran at me, but I blocked their attacks simply, jumping into the air and using my rose whip to disperse one of them. The other two charged at me, jumping into the air. Pitiful. I used my rose whip lash and they were easily defeated.

"Yomi, was all that necessary?" I questioned the demon watching in the shadows. He stepped out from the trees.

"Hello Kurama. It's been far too long since I've seen you," Yomi greeted me calmly.

"I don't appreciate the pun. And what sort of welcome is that? I came all this way to help you, not to be attacked," I spat back. Ungrateful bastard, luring me here when I could be searching for San.

"Don't be cross. I wasn't entirely sure it was you. Your energy feels so much different than it did before. I had to be sure I'm not advised by the wrong man."

"So you sent them to identify me. That's playing it very cautious, Yomi. A trait you never had when I knew you."

"You're not the only one who's gone through changes," he turned his back then, "I can't afford to be reckless now. Mukuro and Raizen have had centuries to perfect the keeping of their power. Now that I have an equal share, they'll take any chance to dethrone me."

"A thousand years is a long time."

"For some things, it's not. Forgive the attack, but if you were as strong as I've heard you've become, it wouldn't have been a threat. And it wasn't, I believe in your power," he turned to face me again. There was a big change in him since I last remember seeing him. While he had aged from a rash youth, he kept his eyes closed the whole time, "Kurama, please give me your trust," he seemed to be pleading with me. I was conflicted at that time. It was hard to think about trusting someone who used to put my pack into danger.

"Lord Yomi," came another demon, obviously one of his minions.

"Yes Yuda."

"It is time for the unification conference, Lord. The council has gathered."

"Excuse me," Yomi said to me. He walked a few paces and then stopped, "Actually Yuda, I have a thought. I want Kurama to attend today's meeting. Show him the way please."

"That little thing?" Yuda questioned, inquiring at me, "Well I don't feel any special demon energy coming out of him. In fact, he smells half human. You sure you want him gracing our table?"

"You heard what I said."

"Hmph. Well, come on then," Yuda spoke to me, leading me towards the conference room. The castle was vast, and it made me wonder what possessed Yomi to construct such a monstrosity. It could have been the ego from his youth, or just a show to the other demon lords that he should not be discounted. Whatever the reason, looking at the scenery wouldn't help me. I was brought into the conference room, where three other demons sat, waiting for their "King". Yuda walked up to the screen on the wall before them.

"Look to the screen if you would. We'll start with a simple graph. I've charted the military power of each of the three territories in Makai. Now the numbers are relative, they don't mean anything material. If you don't understand any of that, take a math class on your own time. Now, we'll chart a projection of the same powers, only a year from today."

The biggest demon there, and the most powerful spoke up, "That has Raizen's strength going down to practically zero."

"That's wishful thinking," said a gender challenged demon with blue hair. Gender challenged is term taken out of San's vocabulary. I back slide like that from time to time. Probably a desperate attempt to believe she's still around.

"And reckless," added the demon sitting directly in front of me.

"Not so," Yuda disagreed, "Because one year from today, Raizen will be dead. Raizen's ridiculous hunger strike has forced his body to critical condition. He cannot last through the year. This comes from highly dependable sources. With Raizen gone, his empire will collapse. Lord Yomi and Mukuro will be in a dead lead. Our strategy is to incorporate the defectives from Raizen's army into our own. To tip the scale in our favour."

"Well, your tactics are by the book, Yuda," said Yomi. Then, he turned to me, "Kurama. I'd like to hear your opinion now."

"Yes, I think we all would," agreed the demon in front of me.

"Lord Yomi spoke well of you and now brings you to our elite table. We want to see how resourceful you are," said the demon with blue hair.

"Yes, we'd just hate for you to be a disappointment to him," the demon beside me spoke. He was quite obviously going to cause trouble for me if I excelled in Yomi's favour, which I knew I would, considering our past. It was easy to see where this council has flawed.

"I'm confused," I began easily, "The power of each territory simply mirrors its ruler. I'd like to see individual stats of the first and second strongest in each land," I requested of Yuda.

"Strength of the leader is strength of the team," Yuda spoke wisely, "But if you need proof, I can show you stats of every single warrior," he offered a bit bitterly. I was sure he would come around after Yomi did.

"No, the stats of the first and second will suffice."

Yuda laughed, "I see, all that information would be too much for your brain to handle. Alright, one and two compiled by our covert agents with the latest demon energy scans," and he began typing with the device, "First the rulers. Lord Raizen, Lord Mukuro, and of course last but hardly resembling least, Lord Yomi. Now I'll pull up the second highest readings we pulled up in each territory. For Raizen, the paranormal dowest, Hokushin. For Mukuro, it's the demonic arts guru, Kirin. And, not surprisingly for us, our chief of the military, Sachi. Happy now, or should I graph it for you?" But Yuda didn't give me time to respond, he simply just did it. Just as I had suspected.

"Well, that confirms it for me. The right hand man of each of the lords has not been present enough to be collected into your database. Let's assume for a moment that your information is complete. Raizen's army will collapse after his death leaving a two way fight. Because Mukuro and Yomi's powers are identical, the deciding factor would normally be the strength of the number two's. But in this case, they're all too weak to make any difference. And if they're the second best, logic suggests that all warriors besides the lords are useless," I knew that I what I was doing. Sachi would get mad, and then do something without thinking, "The only thing that Mr. Yuda's intelligence shows is that we know nothing. Not until the number twos are as strong as the lords."

Sachi scoffed, "So our only tactic is no tactic? Sounds like you've been wasting Lord Yomi's time."

"Not at all. Because the whole balance is about to change."

"What?"

"As I've explained, those second in command will determine who prevails here, and in half a year, they will all be replaced."

"You damn fool! Watch your tongue, these hierarchies of power have survived here for 500 years unchallenged by any demon. And only a sword will make them change," Sachi spat at me. I remained calm as I always do, watching as he stood off his seat to try and challenge me.

The demon in front also rose from his seat, "Sachi, control yourself. He's a visitor here and doesn't understand our ways."

Nothing really changed after that. The council broke up, and I left with Yomi. We walked along the corridor of his castle, in a moment of silence.

"Now that was the most stirring conference we've had in years. You should have seen the way Sachi was staring at you as you spoke. The expression was simply undeniable. He doesn't simply despise you, he's already plotting your death," said Yomi.

"For a blind man, you certainly have good eyes," I complimented him. Although I suspected it had something to do with the extra ears he grew as compensation for losing his eyesight.

"I heard his quickened heart beat, felt the heat from his eyes as the filled blood vessels turned them red. Losing my eyesight was in part, what made me stronger. But now, let me guess what you foresee in half a year. In the land of Raizen, his part demon, part human offspring, Yusuke Urameshi, trains relentlessly, in which to take control of Raizen's army, thus preventing his collapse. In Lord Mukuro's fortress, your friend Hiei has improved, drastically. And from a few vague reports, has garnered rare attention from that soulless tyrant. Urameshi, Hiei, and yourself will be the number twos in just half a year from now. Isn't that what you believe, Kurama? The second in command is key in determining who prevails. That's what you've always believed. So, friend, I think now's a good time to address the other reason I invited you. After all, it seems out of order to discuss your future here, before you meet him."

I wondered what Yomi was speaking of, but my suspicions were confirmed when I saw we were in a prison type chamber.

"Here we are. Can you guess who's behind this door?" Yomi asked. But I could smell him, and I growled despite my human voice, "The one I've searched for all these years, he who took my light. That's my favourite saying for what he did to me."

"Maybe not. You said your blindness is what helped you to gain your throne."

"Right," he confirmed. Then, he typed in the code to open the massive door, locking his attacker in there. I was ashamed, "What's wrong? You're hearts beating fast and your eyes are pointed down low. Look up," I was shocked. Those extra ears were a really good asset to him, "Yes, get a good view of him, and the way he is today."

The sight before me made my stomach wretch. I couldn't believe this was the same demon from all of those years ago. He was chained to the wall, dying of malnutrition. Yomi was a monster for having done this. But then, what did that make me? My former partner smiled then.

"His decay has become much worse in the last few days. He hardly speaks anymore, it hurts him too much. It was one thousand years ago since he fought against me. And still, I can only see him as he was. Back then, our world was opposite. You were the leader, and I was your right hand man. That is, until your bitch came along."

I growled at his terminology.

"Forgive me, Kurama, but I'm speaking how I thought in the past. I still had my eyes, and I must admit, I was jealous you found such an exquisite creature. We were greedy, you and I. We wanted to make ourselves known, carve out our own territory. But to be a lord requires power and wealth. And to gain both, we became bandits. We had a legendary horde, raiding all corners of Makai for its most precious treasures. I was hot-headed then, thirsty for action. I often forced us into confrontation, when you favoured stealth. Soon, I disobeyed you altogether, leading our best men into the most well guarded strongholds, causing many of their lives. But I didn't care, I was selfish and reckless. I just wanted the quickest way to power.

"I could never understand your patience. I don't know why you saved me and kept me on board, except that we were friends. We were so opposite. You were cruelly ambitious in a different way. Calculating, always plotting three steps ahead. It must have been difficult for you to make your careful plans with such a loose cannon at your side. But still, you trusted me and it didn't take me long to waste that again.

"A few weeks after my mistake, I heard news of another fortress impossibly defended that held unspeakable treasures. I disobeyed you again, and when I arrived, the castle was deserted. That's when he showed up. The entire fight he never told me who he was or why he attacked. But he was strong, at least, compared to me at that time.

"'Life is more important than the reward'. My only consultation from the creature that took away my light. I didn't understand anything or how I could live blindly. I could only wait for you to save me, as always. But this time, you never came. And until now, ten full centuries later, I did not meet you again, Kurama. Didn't even know where you were. Why is that? I resolved that the only way to answer that question, was to find the creature that blinded me. And so I searched these one thousand years. And now that I have him, have yet to learn a thing," and then Yomi laughed after his tale.

"You find something amusing?"

"You, Kurama. Your heart beat returned to normal the moment you saw the awful physical state this demon was in. As if he were no longer a threat," Yomi was quick. He walked up to his attacker from centuries before, "You, wake up," he commanded.

"Please your grate Lordship, take my life from me. I cannot bear this pain any longer," said the injured demon.

"Very well, demon, I shall grant you your wish, you've suffered more than enough. But you must answer my one question your fear has kept you from saying. Who ordered you that day to ambush us and forfeit my life?"

"Okay... He had cold eyes. They were such cold, terrifying eyes. And silver hair. The other one... The eyes were cold, but full of regret. They were tawny... like the hair she kept... They were... Youko Kurama, and Moriko Chie."

There it was, the confession I knew Yomi had been wishing for. But he must have already known, why else would he have brought me here? Yomi growled then, killing the demon with a simple kick to the head. Hearing the truth and suspecting it really did a number on the emotions, I was one to know about that.

"There it is. Of course, I long suspected it, but I didn't want to believe. I should tell you right now that I bear no grudge against either of you, old friend. In the enterprise of power, you made a business decision. Looking back, I was a liability, rash, disobedient, I lost countless men. I would've tried to kill me too."

"What do you want from me?"

"Precisely as my spirit orb told you. I want you to assist me in any way that you can. Such as I assisted you in the past, despite my mistakes of immaturity. I learned much from you, Kurama, I tried to model myself after you. I only brought up the past so that we could move beyond it."

"And yet? If I say no?"

"Your human mother is on a plane right now."

"No Yomi..."

"At least according to the schedule my agents have supplied. That was nice of you, by the way, to give them that trip. I just hope it doesn't crash. Middle-aged newly weds dying on their honeymoon is a bland topic for even your lousy human t.v shows."

"You..."

"Quite a life you had after my life was plunged. Reverting back to your fox form, and venturing into Ningenkai, possessing an unborn human child. And there after fourteen years of softening up, your human mother fell sick. To save her, you teamed up with other demons to burglarize Rekai again. That lead you to a debt with Urameshi, which lead you to Makai, fighting Sensui, which in turn, let you to me. All because of mommy dearest. Collecting information, another lesson you taught me. You showed me how much she meant to you."

"Earlier today you said you didn't recognize me. Smart lie to disguise how much you knew."

Yomi laughed, "I've angered you greatly, and yet your minds already considering every encounter calmly, trying to sniff out an advantage, while others would be overcome with real emotions, blinded by their rage. Your methodically planning how to save your mom and no one can say if that's because you actually love her, or because you don't want anything to handicap your control of the situation."

"You've forgotten the third option. For all you know, I really don't care for my mother, and won't care if she lives or dies."

Yomi smiled at me then, "That's why I've prepared yet another surprise for you. Follow me, Kurama."

That was unexpected. I followed Yomi down to the next cell. It was shrouded in darkness, and I was unable to see anything there. What other thing could he have acquired to make me come around to his side? He turned on the lights and my heart stopped at the sight before me. It was a giant glass cell, with plenty of room. Inside, there was a bit of fresh running water, a stream through one end and out another. Small trees and vegetation occupied the ground, but that wasn't were my main focus was. In anger, my demon form emerged. I ran up to the glass, placing my hands over hers.

"Moriko!" I shouted. I could see her try and say my name, but my koishii was trapped in a soundless glass cube. I turned to glare at Yomi, my golden eyes hard, "Release her at once you bastard!" I shouted at him. This was the reaction he desired when he threatened Shuuichi's human mother. I turned back to look at my beloved. Her tawny eyes looked relieved to see me.

"Amazing, the feelings of your mate have brought out your demon side in full. Well, old friend, this is my insurance that you'll comply with what I've offered you. Besides being imprisoned, do you see those tubes at the top of each corner? One button and Polistros gas shoots through. If I'm correct, it's quite deadly to wolves, only one known thing is out there to cure it."

Moriko looked terrified at that word. I turned to look at him menacingly, "Alright," I gritted with my teeth, "There is but one thing, Yomi. We have erected a Dragonite plant. The only way to keep me alive is to have it here where we can both feed our energy into it. Allow me that."

"Of course, Kurama. My wish isn't to injure either of you. Very soon, all of Makai will fall into chaos, and that's when I'll need your ability to think without emotion. Help me unify them all," and then he began to walk away.

"You're a fool, Yomi. You've kidnapped the wrong demon. All my strategy and advise came from her in the first place. She was military general before she ascended the throne. You've failed to collect all of your information, but underestimating her abilities."

But the demon lord continued to walk. In frustration, I punched the glass, hoping to shatter it. I knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"I'm so sorry, Moriko. I failed to keep you safe. As soon as I can, I'll get you out of here. I promise, beloved."


	51. Trapped

I stood up in one of the towers, staring at the outside. My momentary flicker of rage had dispersed, for the most part. I could feel the beast raging inside of me, even my own anger, making it hard to think. The sky was full of lightning, this world of my birthplace even preparing for what was to come in a years time. Yomi had trapped me, made it so that I had no choice but to help him. Polistros is deadly to wolves, and with the way my mate was heavily guarded, there was no chance of saving her with Wolfsbane or Gawnbula in time. I had failed her... again. She was captured, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it, nor to help her until all this fuss was over. It did not matter to me who ruled over the Makai, just as long as I had my eternity with her. I could smell Yomi approaching, following either my stench or my energy, no doubt.

"For your sake, I hope you are thinking during that silence," the bastard told me. I could feel my eyes narrowing.

"I have devised a plan to make you stronger, Yomi," I told him. It was true, I thought of something after I left my mate's entrapment and on my way up here.

"Oh?"

"There are six powerful demons that I encountered in a previous tournament. I'd like time to go recruit and train them for you."

"On the surface, it seems you've acquired the ability to make friends now. But they're just tools to further your goals. You don't care about them. Your care for your mate is tougher, what did they give you," and then that bastard laughed at his last comment.

"Allow me to return home and attend to family affairs, and in exchange I will bring you these fighters. I'll be in from time to time, to check on my mate. I'm sure you'll be watching me anyway."

"Of course. I have to protect my investment."

He walked away after that last comment. At this present moment, I would like nothing more than to be rid of the rest of his senses. There was nothing more here I could do, so I walked back down to the dungeon, to let my mate know what my plan was. At Yomi's request, I was let into her cell. The guards around were instructed well, and very well trained. I knew there would be no way to break her out. Yomi had gone through a lot of trouble to keep this hold on me. She was in her demon form, as I was, and flew into my arms. I hugged her tightly, my tails coming around her. We sat like that for a few moments, before we went to sit under one of the trees inside her cell. She clung to me, which she never did unless she was afraid. It made my heart wretch. How could I not have been there for her? I failed to protect the most precious thing in my life, and now because of that, she was stuck here for at least a year.

"My beloved ookami... I'm so happy you're safe," I told her softly in her ear. She didn't respond, just stayed close to me. I didn't budge either, feeling secure with her in my arms. Two months she had been gone, her whereabouts completely unknown.

"I'm sorry, Youko. I should have been paying more attention," she told me.

"Never mind, koishii. Just tell me what happened."

"I'm not sure. Genkai sent me to look in on the psychics. I found two of them, Sniper and the Doctor. I was getting closer to them, but my vision blurred and I felt tired. I thought it was maybe because I hadn't been a wolf for so long, so I dropped to my haunches and closed my eyes. That's it. I woke up here after that, and there was Yomi. He spoke to me of the past, how he hated and feared me. How, he needed me, and this was the only way to ensure your help was available. He told me about what's going on with Raizen and Mukuro, and his plan for the Makai. How long have I been gone? It feels like years..."

"Two months, beloved. I've been worried, searching the city for you. It seemed unlikely that you would end up here, not with your new powers."

"I do not have the faintest idea of how they got me here, Youko. I don't even know how they managed to put me to sleep without me sensing them."

"Yomi has learned well after being with us," I told her. I didn't want to tell her the next part, "I'm... going to be returning to Ningenkai."

"I thought you might. The human side of you has errands and customs that must be observed."

"Yes, beloved. I plan to find Chu, Rinku, Suzuka, Touya, Jin, and Shishi, train them for Yomi, and bring them back here."

"Get Genkai to help you. She can jump start powers in a short amount of time very easily."

"Yes. I will be in from time to time, when we need to feed the Dragonite."

"I have a leaf of it with me, attached to the original."

I smiled, relieved that she had thought ahead like that. She placed the sacred leaf on the ground in front of us, and we both fed our energy into it. I picked it up, planning on taking it with me and giving it to the plant once I stopped by Genkai's. I stood then, she with me. I kissed her, savouring those sweet tasting lips on my own. I stared into her tawny eyes. She was masking her emotions, she was always so strong. I kissed her again, my hand running through her tawny hair. She is my goddess, a truly exquisite creature. I am lucky to have her, and I regret that I must leave her imprisoned here.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you my precious kitsune," she spoke. I could smell the salt tang of her tear. I left then, my heart heavy. I returned to the Ningenkai as a human.

...

My plan formulated in my head, but I still had to figure out where I would find those demons. Upon my return, I went immediately to Genkai's temple. I felt terrible, this weight could not be lifted off of me until I had San back, and for good. Genkai was not in her temple, but I knew she was around. I could sense Yukina in the kitchen, but I walked passed it and into San's room. It was dark, a thick layer of dust coating everything. Yukina was respectful and staying out of here, although I would make sure it was clean before she came back. I walked up to the door that lead to her garden. The Dragonite was beginning to die. The two of us must have been strong enough to not feel its effects yet. I sent the leaf to it, restoring it to its natural beauty. I looked around, trying to feed what I could, but there were so many plants that needed her dark energy. They would die, and there was no way I could save them. I grabbed the seeds. At least this way, she would be able to grow them again when she returned.

"Kurama," Genkai was behind me. I stuffed the seeds in San's top drawer, and turned to face her mentor.

"Genkai," I acknowledged.

"I would like to hear some good news, you've been gone for quite a while."

I looked down at my feet, clenching my fist at my side, "I'm afraid I cannot provide that."

"What happened?"

It took me a moment to answer. I pushed aside my feelings, knowing that it would be hard to tell the story, "I was called back to Makai by an old friend of mine, Yomi. He requires my mind to help him become over King of Makai, unify all of three worlds. I had thought he was the same, but his time spent with me in my past life has changed him. He tried to corner me with my human mother, but it wasn't definite. That was until he showed me San, or rather, Moriko, imprisoned. He trapped her, and if I don't cooperate with his demands, he has an irrigation system that will flood her cell with Polistros gas. The cell is heavily guarded and impenetrable. There is no way in or out without Yomi knowing about it. There'd be no way to save her in time if he released his poison on her. She's trapped until this war in Makai is over."

"So what will you do?"

"I need to speak with Koenma."

"Well he's here, and I don't think you have much time to waste."

I nodded at the pink haired old woman, and followed her to the dining room, where Koenma and Yukina waited for us with dinner. I told him of San and summarized what was going on with at least one of the Kings of Makai. None of this seemed to come as a surprise.

"What is it that you need from me?" asked Koenma.

"I need to locate Chu, Jin, Touya, Rinku, Suzuka, and Shishiwakamaru. I'm hoping that Genkai will assist me in training them, to help me get this over with. My goal is not to help Yomi in his war, but to free my mate. This is the best way I could think of do accomplish this goal," I replied.

"Why those demons?" asked Genkai.

"Because they will want a re-match with Yusuke."

"So you're going to manipulate them for your own uses? Will you even bother to tell them about San?"

"Yes. I will explain, but their excitement will rise out of combat with Yusuke."

"Yusuke does have a particular impact on people," Koenma agreed, "Very well, Kurama. I will help you locate those demons. I'll send word when I have them all.'

"Thank you."

...

Spending time at school seemed trivial. My attention was barely focused in it, my grades slacking. Kaito was particularly impressed with that, but he was smarter than to think that he was simply just better than me. He knew something was going on, but what could I really tell him? There was nothing he could do, being human and just an amateur psychic. His training under Genkai and San wasn't as immense as Yusuke's or San herself.

"Alright, Shuuichi, give me your test, it's time to brag," said Kaito, walking up to my desk. He grabbed the paper off my desk, but my mind was elsewhere, "So many mistakes, you're equations are off balance. I smell metaphor."

"Could be," I replied.

"So tell me, what's the scoop? Are you guys in another struggle to save the world?"

"Which world?"

"Come on, you know what I mean. Who's the bad guy you're up against?"

I stood then, my back towards him, "Each other. Yusuke and Hiei are on opposing sides."

"Say what? And which side are you on?"

"Neither."

"Well, obviously I'm not clear on the facts, but if you need help, I'll be right here."

I smiled slightly at him. A noble offer, but one I could not accept. This is a demon war, where humans should not tread. A fact that leads me down a spiral of troubling thoughts.

...

_My moods were off, and it was getting harder to hide it from my family. They wanted to go out for dinner tonight, and I would have to be at my best, since they could not know the secret I kept inside. The restaurant picked out was nice, my mother and step father picking well for us. It was just too bad my heart wasn't in it. My mother inquired about San a few times, it made my heart heavy. I simply lied, telling her that San has gone to do some of her studies over seas, and that she would be back in a few years. I stood in the woods, the moon beckoning to me. I remember when Moriko used to sit out and stare at the moon._

_For years I have lived two lives. Shuuichi Minamino, a normal human teenager, and Kurama, a fighter helping to protect what is good. But in recent times, a third identity has re-emerged. Youko, the bearer of my dark past. A figure that survives on blood thirst, brutal instinct. I cannot juggle them all, but which one will I lose? Shuuichi, an identity that coincides with Kurama. They are both necessary in hiding my past. But Youko, that one is more complicated. I had befriended the demon inside, and he no longer speaks to me unless it is crucial. Without him, there would be no San in my life. But San is also just a demon in a human body. Her existence is different, she did not merge like I did, she simply just became. I could not live in my fox form as she could in her wolf. She gained the ability to morph into two different forms, and now a third. It made me wonder if she was as conflicted as I am. I heard a door close behind me._

_"Hey, Shuuichi? Where did you go?" the voice called to me._

_"Shuuichi, don't stray too far," I told the boy._

_"Oh, hey, there you are. You left, is there something wrong?"_

_"No, I'm just staring at the moon."_

_My new step brother, Shuuichi, son of the man my mother married. In a short time, he's come to depend on me._

...

My beeper rang then, in the middle of my conversation.

"Let me guess, you're girlfriend?" said Kaito. I was hoping I didn't have to explain San's situation. But I was surprised when I looked to see who it was.

"No, it's just my step brother. Odd though, he should be in school now. Pranking from the lunchroom payphone no doubt," I answered. I left then to find out what my step brother needed. I used the phone, but all he wanted was to meet with me. There was something odd about him, so I consented to meet with him. If anything, I'd find out what was going on. It didn't take me long to get away from school. I could smell it from miles away. A demon, somewhere around here.

"Hey bro, thanks for meeting me," Shuuichi said. That was all the confirmation I needed. I walked past him, knowing the demon would follow me, "Come on, why you looking so serious. I figured you'd be happy to see me."

"Not only should you be in school now, you've never called me bro before," I told him in a voice that reminded me of the beast I carried with me.

"Oh relax, let's just go somewhere private so we can talk. Share some advice, I mean, that is your specialty?"

Yomi. The bastard has threatened my family, imprisoned my mate, and now was possessing my step brother. The lengths he seemed to be going were not making me very happy. I didn't answer the boy, I simply just walked to our house. Our parents wouldn't be home, so it would be the safest place for now to discuss this issue. We sat in my room, and I waited a few moments, trying to collect my thoughts.

"You're friend Hiei keeps getting stronger. Mukuro's officially made him second in command," Shuuichi told me.

"I was aware."

"Urameshi is training like a dog too, he'll be sure to take over once Raizen dies. Now, do you really want to fight your friends?" and my "step brother" pulled out a cigarette, getting ready to light it. I put a stop to that immediately.

"Say what you will, but I won't let you spoil this boy's lungs. Now come, I want to see who I'm talking to," I said, holding the cigarette in my hand. My wish was granted, however, the demon poking out of either ear, its ugly face finally shown.

"Now before you get violent, you should know the nature of my power. As long as I'm still connected to my host body, if I die, so will they," the ugly creature spoke.

"A parasite demon. Did Yomi put you up to this cowardly act? Is this his way of watching over me? So I'll be certain to fullfil my duties?"

The ugly beast just laughed at me, "Actually, chief Sachi's who I work for. He wants to make sure you stay home and never come back."

"And you think you have control over me. Since as you said, if I kill you now, my brother dies. But I have methods to make your life so utterly meaningless, you'll crawl out on your own, and then beg me for your death."

"Okay, yes, Kurama, don't do anything rash. No need to kill me forget Sachi. Let's face it, I'm a parasite. Jumping from one master's back to another is what I do. The truth is, I lied. I'm playing two sides. Yomi sent me here also, you want to hear him right? He wants to know about those six fighters."

"Yes. It's all in the works. And though I don't exactly trust Yomi, I'll bring them to his side."

"Oh, is that wise? Not that I'm calling you unwise. Look, let's work something out, I can do lots of things. Intelligence, protection?"

"You're lucky, demon. I do have a use for you."

...

"Sure, they're here," said Genkai when I reached her temple.

"Has all of the training been going well?" I asked her. It was for San's sake, in the end of it.

"Yes, but I don't think it's enough. Hell I don't think Yusuke's strength is enough."

"Yo," Koenma walked up. He had another pacifier in his mouth.

"Koenma? You're..." I was shocked.

"Back in my robes, yeah. My dad decided this Makai business was more important than his grudge against me. Sometimes I think he planned it all. That even my disobedience was part of it. So what's your plan? This could turn into a war you know."

"If what you mean to ask is why I am invovled? I want to make sure the result isn't bad for Ningenkai, and to ensure San's safety."

"I believe that's part of it, but I doubt you plan to come out of this as Makai's new king. And I know the threat on your family, but, you can get around that. There's more. When Raizen dies, the power balance will be out of control, and the result will be crucial. Kurama, I need you to tell me that your motivations aren't personal."

"I can't do that. Ask Hiei or Yusuke if it's personal."

"I don't have to, I know you're all fighting for some inner need. But the stakes are too high for that. If Mukuro takes over, we'll have more chaos than ever before."

I turned from where I was about to open the door, "And if it's Yomi, it could be a unity. That's just as dangerous."

"Whatever does happen there, how it's resolved will affect all three worlds for centuries. When you're making your decisions, just try to keep that in mind."

But Koenma didn't understand at all. He was right, I could get around my family's threat, but there was no way that I could avoid San's death. It would be on my hands if I didn't comply. The door closed behind me, and I walked to where my troops stood. All of them were here, waiting.

"'Bout time, piker," said Chu.

"Chu. In high spirits as always," I told the demon. There was more than just Yusuke's battle that motivated me to recruit this demon. He helped my mate out once before, and I had no doubt that the respect he shared for her would stop him from doing it again. He laughed boisterously.

"Very funny mate. Why don't you take a good hard look at these muscles I been working up. Urameshi will have one rager blue this time. I guarantee it."

"Yeah, it'd be pretty awesome to throw down with Yusuke," said Rinku.

"We fought against all sort of baddy biggies being Shinobi and all. That's nothing new. But it's the chance to run with Yusuke that brings me back around," said Jin.

"Well said Jin. Not only do we believe in this cause, we are anxious for the battle," said Touya.

"Ever since that embarrassing loss against that old witch, I been craving a reason to start fighting and feel beautiful again!" declared Suzuka.

"Good. Make your star bass niece call you pretty," said Shishiwakamaru in his imp form.

"Not all of us have groupies to pat self esteem, Shishi."

"So true. The slew of motivation, but the results should be the same," I spoke, "We'll fight hard to protect the balance of all three worlds."

They cheered then, beginning their training. It was going to work, it had to. Just six months left, and San would be freed, this whole thing decided. The training was intense, and it gave me an idea of what San and Yusuke went through with Genkai. Her techniques really worked, and they were improving quite well. They were cocky, but I knew that Genkai would be able to get through that, after dealing with Yusuke and San.

...

I missed San. Her sun touched hair, her tawny eyes, and her soft, fair skin. It was hard to sleep at night, knowing that I could not be with her. Staring at my ceiling, I could not fatham a world without her. The time was approaching. I saw her from time to time, but it was short and uneventful. I let her know of my plan and how it was progressing. But she was trapped in a glass cell. She missed the sunlight and the moon, wishing she could see it. It was hard to imagine what she was going through, and it kept getting harder to put my emotions aside.

...

I returned today, with the fighters I promised. The six of them stood before Yomi, their strength greatly improved. Sachi was there, and that would make the blow much better for me. Yuda walked up to measure their strength, shocked at every number.

"I never would have believed it. Six fighters for us, all with energy levels of 120,000 or higher!" Yuda declared. The other council members were as shocked as he was. But my blood lust just wanted Sachi's reaction. For some reason, I was really going to enjoy killing him. Yomi appeared happy, but did not speak yet, "You said you spent some time on them. But these levels are rare feats, how did you get them all so strong?"

"Just good nutrition and the proper exercise. Nothing special," I answered calmly.

"Funny," murmured Touya,

"Why don't you say the real training she put us through?" demanded Chu.

"Yeah, like the four weeks locked in that cave!" protested Rinku.

"Or the balancing on spikes," said Shishi.

"Or being burried alive by snakes and things," said Jin.

"That hag didn't let me shower for months!" cried Suzuka.

"Excellent work. You've done as promised," said Yomi. Sachi wasn't too happy about that, "And so, in return I'd like to make you my new second in command, if you'll accept it."

"Sure," I answered simply, knowing it would get Sachi wound up.

"But, Lord Yomi, should you be so rash?" asked Sachi, "We don't know if we can trust these six. Where do their loyalties lie?"

"That is enough from you. What have you done these past 500 years to further my power, Sachi?" asked Yomi.

"It is true, Sachi. By the numbers, you are the second strongest fighter we have on our side. But in brains and leadership, you are weak," said Yuda.

"What do you know?" demanded Sachi.

"You speak of the army you've maintained, but what good's it done? Can you name me any soldier with energy levels even close to 100,000? There is a dark time ahead of us, a war for power where any edge we give could mean the difference of order and bowing to Mukuro's chaos. In his short time here, Kurama has brought six fighters stronger than your entire army combined."

"Yuda, you're point is heard. Now please, draw up the papers to make this change of power official," said Yomi, "What matters here is that our path to unification can live another day."


	52. Time

I walked on my way to see my mate. I could sense Sachi in the shadows. Perfect, I could take out my frustrations on him. He was stealthy, I'll give him that, but it was his stench that made his appearance obvious. I couldn't wait anymore. I stopped, letting him ponder a moment.

"Sachi. No more hiding. Let's settle this," I called out in front of me. He stepped out in front of me, the true face of a warrior. Stupid beast, if only he knew what I was capable of and he might be able to avoid his terrible fate. I am a beast unlike him. He began charging up his energy. What a fool he was, "Be wise. That blade cannot undo what is past."

"And that's what your kind never gets. Blades can undo anything," he spat at me.

"What Yuda said is correct. Dark times approach. I cannot waste effort on your personal feelings. I have acted solely on what I think is right, and my moves have been precise. The only thing you can influence now is the time of your death."

"You're wrong again," he seemed pleased. He held up a phone to his ear, just as I thought he would, "It's Sachi, are you getting this?" He laughed, "Excellent, I want you to kill that boy you commandeered. What? You sniveling traitor! After all those years I protected you!"

"You should have known not to trust a parasite demon's loyalty. We've both played our cards and my hand was stronger. Now leave and let me do what's been done."

"I'll put your head on a stick!" he declared. He ran at me, slashing with his blade. Pitiful. He was slow and stupid, "Your power is nothing to mine! You don't stand a chance with that human stink on you!" And his slashes became more violent. Human stink, he would see what mistake me made. I jumped out of one of his attacks, and the beast inside me emerged. He was dead before I even hit the ground. I caught a glimpse at the power analyzer. 152,000. I expected higher. "You're power. But how?"

"Fool. You should have known your enemy," I told him in a cold voice. I continued on, ignoring Yomi's voice.

"My koishii," I spoke softly to my mate. She looked worn out, being in this cell for nearly a year. My heart wretched at the sight of her. Yomi had ensured her care, but without the sun and the moon for a year, her spirits were down. The only time she seemed to even glow at all was when she saw me, and it wasn't very often this past year. I held her tight in my arms, my tails keeping her close. She seemed smaller than I remembered, her strength feeling low. She was still in her demon form, but paler than before.

"Youko," she breathed, relieved that I was with her. I shed a tear then, her voice sounded so weak and hopeless. I knew she hadn't given up, but the sound of her voice shattered my heart.

"I'm sorry, Moriko."

"There's no need. I know you've been making every effort to get me out of this dreadful place."

"I've missed you so much, beloved."

Her response was to simply just hug me tighter. I couldn't wait until she was happy again. Yomi should have been more considerate of her. Then again, maybe he was motivating me further by seeing her captivity. How could I get her out of here sooner? Patience. Something I had a lot of, but it was wearing thin with her here now.

"You smell of blood, Youko," she stated.

"Yes. Sachi, the former second in command has been laid off."

"Permanently it seems. What a shame, he and I were becoming such good pretend friends."

"That's very inhuman of you, beloved."

"I was never really human to begin with, kitsune."

"Very true. The six fighters are here and the plan is ready. We just wait now for the sign."

"I await too. Once I get out of here, I'm going to unhinge Yomi's neck from his shoulders," she spoke in a hard voice, her tawny eyes filled with vengeance. Her blood lust was much like mine, and it made me smile. She wasn't as weak as she looked, and it was my mistake for thinking otherwise.

"That isn't very wise, koishii."

"Neither was capturing me."

"Well put."

She sighed then, and I knew that her threat was empty. Sure, she would use some sort of violence, but she would not kill him. I stroked her long, tawny hair, missing the feel of it. Her ear twitched as my breath hit it, making me smile.

"Moriko, you realize I'll have to fight in this war," I said to her. She didn't answer, she was asleep in my arms. I leaned my head on top of hers, and began to sleep as well.

...

**_I'm returning to third person now_**

...

It was maybe three days later. Moriko was in her cell, as always. She hated this prison, and could not wait to get revenge for being trapped in here. She missed the sun, even if it was just the Makai sun. She missed the moon, oh and how it would beckon to her, doing everything it could to get her attention. She missed air, even the stench of the rotting flesh would make her happy, so long as she could get out of here! Her mate had been in and out the passed year, but it still felt like such a long time that she was here. How much more could she take? But her anticipation was building. If the war started, Yomi knew that she would be an asset to his army. And then she would trade sides easily, slipping a knife in his back. Or maybe she would sever his neck from his shoulders. Or tear his ears off, one by one. Yes, that all sounded quite appetizing. Cut out his tongue and pull out his ears, then he could be deaf, dumb and blind. She maybe would even pity him, but probably not. Wolves had no time for pity, they were too busy being wolves.

At least she wasn't completely alone. Yomi did take the time to speak with her, the guards sometimes spoke with her, and even that idiot Sachi came down. Although, he was more into claiming her, but she knew that Yomi was simply just allowing him to dwell further into doubt about his rank. Her favourite visitor was her mate. She didn't see him too often, it would be nearly three months at a time before she saw him for a few hours. He was hard at work, trying to get her out of her imprisonment. She would never forget that look in his eyes when he saw that his old friend was using her to get what he wanted. They were so cold, so full of malice that she was sure he was going to rip Yomi's head off. Once she was out of here, she was heading straight for Raizen's army. He is lesser of all evils when it comes to King for Makai. Mukuro would spread tyranny, and Yomi wants to move his forces into the Ningenkai and Rekai. That was dangerous, and Moriko knew that her mate was going to do what he could to prevent it. So would she.

Her thoughts of the day were interrupted when she felt something strange. It was a metaphorical wind. It wasn't real, but she could feel a huge power loss in the Makai. Her tawny eyes widened at that point. Something happened, it was the sign. Now what would happen? Her mate's plan was going to be put into action. And Yusuke? What would he do? Hiei? What was his move? The conclusion Moriko thought would not come has finally happened. She was anxious and fearful for her friends. She knew that they were on different sides, but she was hoping that by some miracle, they would not fight over this stupid world. So long as one king remained, the balance for power was equal. But that wasn't the case now. The thought of that made her heart hurt. Her friend, Raizen... was dead.

...

"Yomi! You son of a bitch! Can you hear me? Because I'm coming! Do boil up a cup of tea Yomi!" Kurama smiled hearing his friend's declaration of arrival. He wished San could have heard it.

"Kurama, this friend of your seems rather silly. Can he really be the descendant of Raizen? Let's assume it is true, doesn't his presence here confirm that Raizen is no more?" asked Yomi, who was standing beside Kurama, looking at his security screen.

"I suppose so."

"Well then. I am eager to hear what Raizen's heir has to say to me," he then turned to Yuda, "Yuda, prepare to welcome our guest in proper fashion. Inform the centuries at the gate to give them no trouble when they arrive, and to measure Urameshi's power at the door."

"As you command sir," said Yuda.

"Kurama, I want you to have your men standing at the ready in the next room. If he tries anything, I won't hesitate to issue the assassination order." Kurama narrowed his eyes. Killing Yusuke wasn't part of the plan. "And I know as chairman of the chief staffs, you won't hesitate to act on it," was all that was said before Yomi walked away.

Kurama walked towards the room where his six fighters remained. He stopped along the way, thinking about informing his mate. He decided against it. She would freak out, and her vengeance would be greater. He didn't want Yomi to release the Polistros and kill her. He continued on, trying to work this out in his mind. He walked into the room with the others, and briefly explained to them what Yomi wanted.

"What? He wants us to off the bloke?" asked Chu.

"At the first meeting?" inquired Rinku.

"Well, first let's see how things go," said Kurama, "Who knows? Maybe Yusuke will treat Yomi with grace and humility."

"Not likely," said Touya.

"Look on the bright side, at least you'll get to see Yusuke again like you wanted."

"You're right, I bloody miss the fella," said Chu.

"Aye, make that a double. I want to be seeing him too I say," said Jin. That confirmed that. Kurama led them into the next room, waiting for the action to start. They had to be quiet, Yusuke couldn't know that they were there. They communicated by writing in paper to each other. Kurama felt something else then. Hiei and Mukuro. They were going to spectate the meeting, as they should. Kurama heard Yomi walk into the room, along with one of his maids.

"I present your tea sir," she spoke, Kurama assuming that she set it in front of him.

"I guess you do have good ears," said Yusuke. Yuda spoke to Yomi briefly.

**"Been so long since I've seen him, it has. But he hasn't changed one iddy, bitty bit," **Jin's note said.

**"Except he's even stronger. Bloke's built like a brick shit house," **said Chu.

**"That's all well and good, but what will we do when Yomi gives the order to attack?" **asked Touya.

**"I've been pondering that myself. I did swear my allegiance to Yomi, and I would enjoy sparing with Yusuke in his new state... but not to the death," **said Kurama.

**"..."** was Rinku's response.

Chu came over and hit him on the head, **"You don't have to write out the dramatic pauses."**

**"To be honest, I'm torn. I have to make sure nothing happens to San as well. I want to know what you all are thinking if it comes to that. Who's side will you be on? Yomi? Or Yusuke?" **asked Kurama.

**"Yusuke!" **they all agreed.

**"Do you even have to ask?" **said Rinku.

**"Undecided," **said Shishi. Suzuka walked up to him, crossed out his response and put, **"I mean Yusuke."**

**"Thank you," **said Kurama.

**"No sweats pal," **said Jin.

**"Yeah, we'll even help you bust your sheila out,"** said Chu. Kurama smiled, and then the conversation began.

"So. You've come to see me, and please, be direct. I have neither time nor patience to waste beating around the bush," said Yomi.

"Well Raizen is dead now. And you know, as the new King on the block, I thought it'd only be fair for me to tell you in person exactly how I'm going to rip you off your throne," said Yusuke.

"Alright. But in the interest of full disclosure, let me show you how I plan to stop you." Yomi began to power up. They waited.

"That's cool, but first I got something for ya. We'll call it a gift."

"How thoughtful of you. Would you mind unwrapping it to? I'm afraid I can't see things as well as I used to."

"Sure. Now they might scatter a bit, so I hope you don't mind." They heard the scattering of many small things along the table. Kurama wondered what was going on in there. What was Yusuke planning.

"But that's our entire national treasure!" exclaimed Hokushin, "All our abrumari stones! Do you have any idea how rare and valuable those are?"

"I thank you Mr. Urameshi for this most generous of gifts. Oh, I can tell this abrumari stone is real by its touch. What is your true purpose in offer?" asked Yomi. "There's something carved in this stone. It says Mukuro. That one says Kurama, and Toho. Hokushin, Hiei, San. You engraved names on all of these stones?"

"Yeah, well, I would have just painted them on, but I figured this way you could read them yourself," said Yusuke. Clever.

"AH! You desecrated the treasure! How could you do such a thing!" Hokushin was hysterical.

"Look, I'm not a particularly bright guy, and just because I'm Raizen's heir doesn't mean that I'm fit to replace him. So maybe its time we found a way of crowning the big cheese around here. Each of these has the name of someone from demon world on them. We'll all face off in a big tournament representing not kingdoms, but ourselves. And the one who wins the tournament will be the one to rule us all, for a period of time at least, until the next tournament. From what I understood in social studies, its called democracy, and its all the rage back home. Except we'll cast our votes with fists. What do you say, big guy?"

"Do you honestly think that I or anyone else will go along with this?" asked Yomi. His question was answered quite quickly, as Jin opened up the door. It seemed to be the appropriate time.

"Sign me up, so I say," said Jin.

Yusuke laughed, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're here to see you, pal."

"Jin, how ya doin' man? Chu!"

"I'm sorry, Yomi. From now on, I represent only Kurama's side. And if you don't cooperate, I'm sorry, but I'll be forced to take his side over yours. Now, release San to me," said Kurama.

"Kurama... Not you..." trailed Yomi.

"Whoa, wait a minute? You have San? You're the reason she's missing? What the fuck? Let her go, now!" shouted Yusuke. Yomi stood then.

"Fine. I accept," said the six eared demon.

...

Moriko wondered what was going on. She wasn't sure, there was no way to tell what was happening. When would the war start? Weren't they mobilizing yet? Why was she still trapped here? She needed to get out, she felt like she was going insane. But something strange happened then. The guards opened the door, and Yomi stepped into her prison.

"Queen Moriko Chie, former ruler of the wolf clan, mate to the legendary Youko Kurama, disciple of the spirit orb creator, Genkai, and fully known spirit wolf," he greeted her.

"Why so formal Yomi? Have you come to tell me how you prefer to die?" she asked, her tawny eyes hard as she looked upon her prey.

Yomi smirked, "You won't kill me, Moriko. You know you'd have to fight me, and I know the kind of death you would prefer. No, I think you've overstayed your welcome."

"Pity."

"I believe it is. You are free to go."

"What do you mean, I am free to go? What kind of trickery is this?"

"None. Get out of here, before I order your head on a stick."

"You don't need to tell me twice."

He nodded at her, and then he walked away. She smirked, but was still suspicious, wondering what it was that was going on. She decided to play it carefully, and stepped out of her cell for the first time. It felt good, and the guards left her alone. She continued to walk, all kinds of smells coming to her now. The one that stood out the most, the one she was looking for, was her mate. She followed it, knowing it lead out the door, outside, where she wished she could have been for more than a year.

Her first step on the ground of Makai felt utterly delightful. She breathed in deep, despite the smell of rotting flesh. She saw silver in the distance and smiled. His eyes, they were gentle, and they were on her. Then, he took off. Laughing, she chased after him. It didn't take her long to catch up, and soon, she was ahead of him. They ran, Moriko laughing at every moment. She felt so free, and was loving every minute of it. How good it felt to feel the wind, see trees, smell the water, soar through the air.

She stopped for a moment then, a smile still planted on her gorgeous face. Her hair was long, tawny, and flowing freely in the wind. Her tail, her tail was glossy, and it swayed back and forth rhythmically. He watched his goddess as she radiated in the sun. His exquisite creature, a lone wolf. He loved her from the moment he saw her, and that love would never die, not for the eternity he would spend with her. There would be no other, and there was none other like her. He is mated for life.

She looked into the golden eyes of her mate. They were soft, showing nothing but pure love and adoration for her. His silver hair was shining as it blew with the wind. He stood tall, gazing at her. He was her saviour, her destiny. He would always be there, doing whatever it took to provide and protect her. He was a bandit, her pack leader, her lover, her friend, and a former enemy. He was what made her life whole, and she loved him from the first time she looked into those gorgeous eyes. It was true love, one that would never die. It would continue to burn, for the whole eternity she had chosen to spend with him. There was no other like him, and there would be no other. She is mated for life.

He grazes her cheek with the back of his fingertips, moving some of that silky hair out of her face. His other hand held her elbow. Her hands were gently placed on his hips. Their eyes were locked in each other, and then he kissed her. It was soft at first, the ghost of her lips touching his. But her arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. He hugged her, his nine tails coming around her. She sighed contently, her head resting on his shoulder. He leaned his head on top of hers, her slender frame feeling good in his arms. He cherished this moment of her freedom.

She moved her head to kiss his neck then, and then kissed him deeply. A fire ignited inside of her, a burning desire for this creature in front of her. It was powerful, it was tempting, and yet, it was also sweet. He tasted so sweet and she'd be a fool not to take control of that. He held her head gently, his fingers intertwined with her hair. The passion that grew inside him just at the thought of her was over bearing, and he was going to give in.

They kissed and the world disappeared around them. There was nothing else, just the two of them, and their time together. They could no longer feel the anything else around them. They had only each other, and that was all they wanted. It was hard to imagine a world where the other was no longer around, and they would do whatever it took to make sure that it never happened that way.

They kissed and they were in a state of bliss. A magical feeling that could only be brought upon by the deep feelings they shared for each other. Their hearts soared, bringing them to the ultimate happiness that only came from a long time of loving devotion. They felt the weight of their problems lifted off of their shoulders, felt wave after wave of pure love flowing threw them with every movement.

Regrettably, they pulled back. Slowly, they detached their lips from each other, their breath tempting them to go back to that world. His golden eyes met her tawny ones, full of love and happiness.

"En ai maro, mai kenran ookami," he spoke to her.

She smiled, "Eien ni anata o ai shimasu, mai oshii kitsune."

"For eternity, koi."

"Yes," she agreed, "Eternity."


	53. Kings

Moriko ran through many forests and flat lands. Her mate was with her, his power strong enough to stay on the surface. Freedom, it was something she couldn't fathom. It seemed as if she had taken it for granted, but never again. Being imprisoned really changed you, and she know understood why humans sent the bad ones to a jail. That isolation drove the mind crazy. She was just happy that she was strong enough to fight it off. Although, if she was unable to see her fox, she was sure that it would have been easier to give in to the madness. She stopped for a breather. It was night time now, and she enjoyed the presence of the moon. It was amazing how the little things that used to seem to trivial now seemed so big. This new found appreciation was different, and she was hoping that it would last a long time, that she wouldn't forget it after getting back to a regular life. She was still going to kill Yomi, oh yes. But when she was strong enough, and when she had made up her mind about how to do it in the most satisfying way. Youko knew of this, and he disapproved. But he didn't have to know when it would happen, that way, he couldn't stop her.

"How long have we been running, Youko?" she asked her mate.

"About three days," he answered.

"Three days? It only feels like a couple of hours."

"It would after being isolated for so long."

"I wonder where we are."

"I'm not familiar with this territory."

Moriko looked around. She looked up and sniffed at the air. She walked up to the tree in front of her and observed it. Then, she jumped, hopping from branch to branch, going towards the top. She took in her surroundings, trying to get some sort of bearings. She saw a land mark, and widened her tawny eyes. Had she subconsciously been running here? It seemed so strange. But it was highly appropriate, considering the circumstances. She sighed mournfully, but knew what she had to do. Her mind made up, she dropped down the tree, back to the ground.

"Well?" Youko asked.

"There is something I have to do," she told him gravely.

"What is it koi?"

"Just follow me."

He nodded. She smiled slightly, but she still felt sad. She began to run again, making sure her mate was close to her. She knew he was curious about her actions, but that was the good thing about his demon form. Youko was well known for his patience. Shuuichi, the human he had taken over adapted to it, but it wasn't the same. She missed her mate. It was a very complicated relationship she had with him, and it would take many headaches to understand it. But they were happy, and that was all that mattered. She caught a whiff of a human. Perfect, it was the one she was hoping to find. That just meant she was on the right track. The sun was beginning to rise, and she was sure that Youko would be able to smell it as well. Although, he would never actually know what her real purpose here was until she had done it. It was getting closer to the afternoon, and that was when they arrived. It appeared that she wasn't the only one who came for this deed.

"Queen Moriko Chie!" yelled one of Raizen's old followers.

"San? Kurama? What are you guys doing here?" asked Yusuke.

"Hokushin, Yusuke. I've come to pay my respects to Raizen," Moriko answered. She walked passed her half demon brother and on to where the other demons stood.

"I didn't know that San knew my father."

"I was unaware of this as well," replied Youko.

Moriko was almost at the grave site. She saw the others there and smiled sadly. It had been a while since she saw any of these demons gathered in one place. She pulled a seed out of her clothes, and used her power to create her trademark rose, purple, barely open with pink at the top. She walked up to Raizen's grave, and placed it gently on the tombstone, a tear leaving her tawny eye.

"Moriko?" the wolf heard someone speak to her.

"Hello Koku," Moriko greeted her old friend.

"Moriko, why did that fucking bastard have to die? How could he leave me here like this?" the demon questioned, falling into the wolf's arms and crying. Moriko did not know what to do to console her friend, so she sat there silently. Finally, they sat down and wept together, going over the memories they had of their treasured friend. The mourning was good for them, and it helped them.

Enki stood after that, "Right everyone, I think that's enough grieving for one day don't you think? And besides, I think we all had another reason for coming here today. They all nodded, and got up to their feet. They turned to face Yusuke, "Hey! Raizen junior!" Moriko smiled at that name, "Guess what? We're all going to enter your tournament!"

"I'm warning you though, I'm not going to go easy on you. I don't care who you are, I'll kick your ass," said Koku. She then turned to her husband, "And the same goes for you mister, I'm not cutting you any slack."

"I'd have it no other way darling, all's fair in love and war," replied Enki. He stood in front of them, "Let's make this tournament's so brutal it makes Raizen roll over in his grave jealous. What do you say?"

"YEAH!" they shouted in unison. Moriko felt proud at this moment to be here. They then all powered up. It was incredible, it was exhilarating. The power they sent up between them was immense. Moriko thought that maybe she wasn't up to step with them. But she knew she was, she wasn't overwhelmed by them, she felt apart of them. Finally, it was over. She calmed down her powers along with the rest of them. She felt much better now, as she was sure that the rest of them did. They began to disperse, getting ready for the tournament, no doubt. She walked to her brother and mate, who were staring at her in shock and appreciation.

"That was incredible San! I had no idea your powers developed so much!" exclaimed Yusuke excitedly.

"I did get some training in the past year that I was trapped," she replied.

"Your powers are immense, beloved. I'm happy you learned how to control them. You conceal them beautifully," said Youko.

She smiled at him, "Thank you."

"Man, I hope I get to fight you in the tournament. I haven't had a good fight with you since my training with grandma," said Yusuke.

"It will be a lot different this time, Yusuke. You have never fought me in my true form."

"Oh yeah, that's right. I suppose I should be calling you Moriko, right? That is your name."

"Wolves have no need of names."

"Uh... Okay? So what do I call you then?"

"Moriko or San, it does not matter. I am the same, no matter what I look like or what name you call me."

"Is she always this cryptic?"

Youko chuckled, and that surprised Moriko, "You have no idea."

"Why?"

"It's the way of the wolves to be cryptic, Yusuke," said Moriko.

"That still doesn't even make any sense!"

"It doesn't have to."

"Alright, fuck it. I'm just happy to see you two are alright. You gave everyone quite a scare when you disappeared last year. What happened?"

"I am unsure about it. All that matters now is that I am free. But you. You have improved greatly this passed year. I am deeply sorry about your father."

"How did you know he was my father?"

"This is a long story. Perhaps we should sit while I tell you all of it. I am quite sure my mate is curious as to how I become so close to a demon lord."

"You know me too well, koishii," Youko smirked. The three demons walked to one of the sitting areas within the castle grounds. Drinks and food were brought to them. Moriko ate, realizing she hadn't in the last three days. Finally, she was relaxed, and ready to go into her memory and tell a story. She wondered why it was so important to her mate, but she knew that Yusuke would have like to know his father better than what he did. Last she saw, Yusuke was ready to kill Raizen himself, so she was happy that he was giving it a chance now.

"Where do I even begin? It was such a long time ago, back when I was apart of the wolf clan. I was out running on one of the clear nights. I could hear something, out in the woods near our den. I was young then, my psychic powers just developing. It would have been bad for me to go alone, but the call wasn't threatening. I finally found him just on the edge of our domain. He was hurt, probably fighting no doubt. I was hesitant, until he greeted me in our ways. I healed him, and we became friends after that encounter. There were many times I encountered him. My clan was in his domain, and he protected our forest. There was a long time before I would see him, and he told me he was in the Ningenkai. I saw him about 100 years after, he looked terrible. I went to him after I had a vision, and he told me of you, Yusuke. He has been waiting for you for centuries."

They were silent for a moment, "I wish I could have known him better. I'm proud to call him my father," said Yusuke.

Moriko smiled, "He would be happy to hear you say that."

...

She was running again. She seemed to always be running. It was at least a week since they had left Raizen's former domain. Youko didn't say much about her constant running. He understood her need to feel free right now, knew how much joy running brought to her. She hunted at night, and slept most of the day. It felt good to be a demon again, living in the world with her mate. It was exhilarating to feel as if she had gotten her life back. She knew it would have to end, however. There was a tournament coming up, and they both needed to train. There was a human side to him, and it would no doubt wish to see the mother. And then there was Genkai. San, the human side of her needed to go back and ensure her of what was going on with Yusuke. So many duties and responsibilities. She knew that training would have to be with Genkai, or else there was no way to increase her power to the way she desired. She stopped, staring at the moon and collecting her thoughts. She stood on top of a cliff, the wind blowing gently. She smiled, feeling the warmth of his presence as his arms came around her.

"I've missed this, Youko," she told him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I've missed you, beloved," he replied.

"It feels so good to be back to the old life."

"Yes."

They sat in silence for a few moments. They walked to the edge of the forest, and sat against a tree. She was in his embrace, her tawny eyes still fixated on the moon above them. She thought about her life, and what would happen now. She had an idea, but when would there be peace? Who knew which demon would win the tournament. Yusuke was taking a big risk here, letting them all battle for it. Moriko had no desire to rule the Makai. But she did have an obligation to eliminate some of the competition, try and weed out of some of the more nastier demons. She knew Youko would be fighting for the same reasons. What was weird though, was that she did not have a vision for a long time. It seemed that there was nothing in the near future or far future that needed her immediate attention. She found that kind of strange.

"Something is bothering you, beloved," he spoke softly into her ear.

"I am not sure that 'bother' is the right word, Youko," she said shortly after.

"Nonetheless, there is still something on your mind. There is no need to burden yourself, koi."

She smiled, "It is of no moment. I believe I need more time to think about it before I address my concerns."

"As you wish," he hugged her tighter, "I'm happy that you're back with me, Moriko. It was hard to see you contained in that cell."

"I'm happy to be free. I'm sorry that I let that happen. I should have been paying more attention."

"Do you remember how it happened?"

"No. But I do remember something rather disturbing. Sometime between one of your visits, and when you brought the demons to Yomi, I awoke suddenly. I knew there was something different about me, something had happened. I noticed a lock of my hair was missing, and a blood sample had been taken from me. I asked him about it, but he said that it was simply to test my health. There was something else to it though, but he would not tell me. I don't even know what to expect, but I do know that I have not felt any different, just a strange feeling lately."

Youko's eyes narrowed, "That is strange. It was only that one time?"

"Yes."

"I wish I could say that I know what Yomi is planning, but he is still quite unpredictable. His power is great, and he'll most likely be one of the finalists in this tournament. We'll have to be careful if any of us are to face him."

"I know. I just feel so lost. I have not had a vision in over a year. It's starting to worry me."

"You've come to depend on your power. That's something you never wanted."

"It isn't. But I am starting to think that Itsuki was right. While I was trapped for that year, I knew that if I had the power to manipulate the minds of others, I would have been able to escape, and none of this would have happened."

"Perhaps. It is your choice, koishii."

"I'm just not sure what I should do."

He kissed her, "You love to hunt. Finding your way will not be difficult for you. I'll be here for you, Moriko. I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled, kissing him again, "I love you, Youko Kurama."

"I love you."

...

_She walks along the familiar path towards her den. She is alone, as always since she has left the clan. The seal of the clan hides in her bodice. She knows the fox is about. She could never forget his smell, and those golden eyes. Four hundred years since he began visiting her, and she fears, but looks forward to his meetings. She is not sure, but knows that he is the key to her destiny. It is a long journey back, but she is not worried about the time. She has all the time in the world. She stops then, knowing that someone is about. It is not the kitsune, it is a very powerful demon._

_"All hail Queen Moriko," a cold voice comes to her ears._

_"Reveal yourself," she speaks._

_"I am Mukuro. I have heard of your exploits, and know that you reside in my forest."_

_"Your forest?"_

_"Yes."_

_"That means you compete with Raizen."_

_"You know of him? I'm far from surprised."_

_"Why have you come here?"_

_"I've come to offer you a job. One that I'm sure you should consider. You once ruled a realm, the one I'm offering is much bigger. Help me defeat Raizen, and we will rule this world together."_

_"I have no desire for this stupid world, Mukuro."_

_"That is most unwise, your Majesty. You are in my realm, I could make your life a living hell."_

_"Do what you wish."_

_The one called Mukuro laughs then, "You dare defy me in my own realm."_

_"The one you seek will be about in the far future. I am not the one you wish to have, that is not my destiny."_

_"Interesting. Seer powers were just a myth. But wolves can't lie, so it must be true. Very well, Moriko. I will leave you alone, so long as you do nothing to inhibit my power."_

_"I care nothing for this world nor its inhabitants."_

_She walks away from her visitor then. The words run around in her mind, but she cares not. What does she care who comes to power in Makai? She is waiting for her destiny. She comes to the tree which has become her den for the past few centuries. She looks upon its vastness, and thinks back to the beginning of her days here. How far she has come begins to take its toll on her. She sighs, enters her den and begins depositing her things where they belong._

_He watches, his golden eyes struck by her beauty. He smiles, loving how unaware of his presence she is. He looks on as she begins to hum softly to herself. The sound of her voice touches his heart in a way he cannot fathom. Who is this goddess before him? Why does she affect him so? He shakes his head no. He is not here to admire her, but to gather his treasure. She is gone from her post, and he goes to look for her. He smells her intoxicating scent, and is unable to stop himself. He follows it, and wonders where this demon is taking him. He comes to a river, a waterfall causing so much noise. His ears catch her voice, rhythmical as she begins to undress. His breath catches in his throat. Gorgeous. He spots it then, the seal now around her neck. He jumps down, not a sound to be heard. He walks slowly towards her. He is about to take the seal, when she turns to face him. Her tawny eyes are slightly amused, and he smirks._

_"So, you have come again," she speaks._

_"To claim what is rightfully mine," his voice is not as strong as he hopes._

_"Foolish kitsune. You will never take this from me."_

_He feels her breath on his face, his eyes are half drooped, "I will take whatever I want," he tells her, his voice soft. He snakes an arm around her, closing the gap that lies between them. Her naked form makes him forget his sole purpose for being there. He brushes her tawny hair out of her face, and kisses the lips that beckon to him. She feels an overwhelming power coursing through her. Her knees feel like giving out, as she holds him for support. He is gentle, unlike the rumours she hears from others. They break apart, very slowly. He gazes into her tawny eyes. His senses come to him, and he leaves. What has come over him?_

_She stands, feeling him still around her. She feels cold when he leaves, but she watches him as he goes. She wonders what her fate is with this kitsune. She does not understand these feelings, or how she is to deal with them. She does not notice that she has been smiling this whole time._

...

The moon was shining brightly. Moriko was smiling, the memory always bringing a smile to her face. For some reason, she felt the need to think about the past. Perhaps it was her surroundings. She hadn't been in this world for a long time, and this was where most of it happened. She couldn't be sure as to why she felt like dwelling in the past. It was the first time they had shared a kiss, and she began to realize how she felt about her fox. Love had never found its way to her before, and this was the first, and only. She was still smiling, staring into the sky. She had to admit, she missed the clearer skies of the Ningenkai. There were many things she had come to accept over the past sixteen years.

Genkai was right, she really was a young demon. How long would she have to live before she would be considered grown up? Her mate, she wasn't even quite sure of his age, but he was considered old and wise. She was sure that he wasn't that much older than her. But it was hard to tell with demons. Nearly two weeks since her freedom, and the world was changing. Everyone was getting ready for Yusuke's tournament. She knew that she should as well, but Youko had not spoken to her about it. He was always so calm and patient, but she knew that he would mention something about it to her. He was eager to train as well, and there was no telling what would happen.

If fate was anything like she thought it might be, she would end up fighting him. She knew that he would stay a human for as long as he could. It was part of his strategy, to have people underestimate him. She had taught him well, and was proud that he was able to coordinate so well. Not that he was stupid about it before her. He was very good and agile with his mind. But she knew that her slight touches of improvement would make him a genius. Everyone needed help once in a while. She looked beside her, at his sleeping form. The moonlight brought out the silver features of his hair. He looked so peaceful, so serene. His arms were limply around her, even in a protective way. He seemed to be more alert since she was taken, and she knew that he blamed himself. Human or demon, it was hard for him to get over his few failings. She kissed his cheek, and he stirred slightly. He opened his eyes sleepily, before pulling her closer to him. She loved to be pressed against his body, that feeling of being secure. She sighed contently.

"Sleep, koi," he whispered to her.

She smiled, "But the moon is alive, Youko."

"The moon is always alive, beloved."

"Why, I do believe you're right."

He kissed her forehead, "Tomorrow you can be as wolfish as you want with me. Right now, I would like you to sleep."

"Yes, love," she obeyed her mate. At least, she tried. Her mind wasn't going to stop, but she would at least pretend, to make him happy.

...

thanks to all my readers and reviewers :)


	54. Meeting Shiori

San's return to the temple wasn't exactly what she was expected. First of all, where the fuck was Genkai? Second, where the fuck was Yukina? Third, why the fuck was Kuwabara studying so much? She came back to the Ningenkai with Kurama, and of course, went straight to the temple. She had been gone for over a year, assured by her mate that the temple was fine. It was fine, not a single thing out of place since she had left. The only problem was, WHERE THE FUCK WAS EVERYBODY? How could she be expected to enjoy coming home when no one was around? How inconsiderate of them. She was looking forward to tending to her garden and training for this tournament. She was looking forward to seeing Genkai and Yukina. Most of all, she was looking forward to sitting atop her favourite tree. She had planted and encouraged that tree to grow over the years, and it was perfect. But now that seemed impossible. She looked through the whole temple, finding nothing, no trace of them anywhere.

"San!" Kurama called to her. She moved from Genkai's room towards her own bedroom, where her mate was. She walked in and he was holding a piece of paper in his hand, "I think you're looking for this," he spoke. He handed her the note and she read it. Figures it would be in the last place she would look for everyone.

_Kurama,_

_Meet us three days out of the city._

_Genkai._

"Well that's a pain in the ass. She obviously doesn't want people knowing where she went. Doesn't even give a direction," San spoke.

"Yes, it's very cryptic."

"How in the hell does she expect you to find her? Your nose sucks."

"I'm not quite sure, San."

San mumbled something incoherent that made Kurama smile. She proceeded out to the courtyard to feed her plants. Most of them were dying. Kurama did what he could, but he did not possess the powers of darkness to be able to save the ones that really mattered. She restored them to the best of her ability, but there was no hope for some. She would have to replant them. It could have been worse, however, they all could have died with no hope. She stopped at the Dragonite plant, her mate waiting for her. She smiled, and walked into his embrace. Together, they fed the plant. She hadn't really noticed the effect of it upon her. That was, not until she could feel herself become stronger. She wondered at that point. Two months it had been since its last feeding, over year since a feeding like this. The two of them were much stronger now than when it first was planted. How long would it take before it was really going to affect their lives? How much neglect? She didn't dare find out, but it was something to wonder about in case something like this happened again.

"San," Kurama spoke just then.

"Yes?"

"It is getting late, and I should be home for dinner."

She nodded, "Okay."

"Another thing. You're coming with me," it was a command.

"Might I ask why?"

"I've wanted you to meet my human mother for more than a year, but you disappeared. I wish for you to meet her, and I do not like the idea of you staying here by yourself."

"Interesting. You think I can't take care of myself?"

"It's not that."

"Then what is it? Stop trying to hide shit from me."

He sighed, "Let's just call it me trying to feel secure."

"What are you? A woman?"

"Just do it, San."

"Alright," she replied submissively. She walked with him, down to wait for the train. She hated the train. It was one thing she did not miss about this world. Still, it was nice to breath the air and see the sky. The view of the moon was quite spectacular here. But all of that didn't matter. She was going to see a human whom she wasn't sure was the point. San had never had a mother before, and her father rejected her. She didn't understand what family was so great about, only siblings. Akatsuki had stood by her, done everything he could to protect, just as she did for him. But he was gone, over that stupid bitch Natsuko. But then there was Yusuke. Sure, he wasn't really her brother, but with all the time she spent with him, he might as well be. She supposed Genkai could be a mother in some way. Not in the normal way of course, but some way. She decided that for her mate she would try not to think like this. But what would they eat? Most of the food here San was not accustomed to. Yeah, she was here for fifteen years, but she still hunted when she could. It saved Genkai a great deal of money on meat. She decided not to ask, but to politely eat it while trying to find the function in her brain for taste.

"Wasn't I supposed to meet her last year?" San asked.

"Yes. But that was when we first encountered the Polistros here. I told her you were ill and she said it would be nice to see you at a different time," explained Kurama. They stepped onto the train that had just arrived and Kurama paid for their seats.

"So what did you tell her then? I'm going to need to know if I keep up this lie of yours."

"Right. I told her that you went to attend school overseas."

"Where did I go?"

Kurama blinked, "Good question."

"You mean you lied to your mother and didn't even think of a good one? Did you think I was going to be stuck in that cell forever?"

"No, I just had many things on my mind at the time."

"Then I ask again, where did I go?"

"United States? Many people travel there for school."

"Really? I was thinking more like traveling Europe."

"That doesn't make sense, San. You can't travel Europe while you're in school."

"That depends on what I studied. You did think of what I studied, didn't you?"

Kurama smiled guiltily, "No."

"You really suck at lying."

"Yes. But that is besides the point."

"I guess. Figure out what I studied. Something that works with me traveling Europe. That sounds much more exciting than being in one place."

"I suppose so. You could say that you were an apprentice photographer. That would require you to travel to Europe and document some of the ancient architecture."

"See, now that's more like it. You're lucky I actually went to school."

"For photography?"

"Oh Kurama, don't be silly. I mean it's good I went to school so that I know all about this worlds old buildings and such. Besides, I'm a wolf and cannot lie, so the fact that I was able to think about it all on my own says bad things about your humanity."

Kurama smiled, "Yes, koi."

The ride continued, San starting to feel bored. She could have run there much faster. She missed running already, and it hadn't even been a whole day yet since she stopped. She was going through everything in her head, preparing for every possible question. She was surprised at her mate. He always had things worked out. This must have really shaken him. She knew that he wasn't normally like this, so much had happened over the year. At least she was alive and with him now. Her mind tried to stay away from her captivity, not wanting to experience such feelings again.

"Is there any other information I should be aware of?" she asked her mate. She noticed she slipped into a dialogue used by her demon side.

"Yes. She was married last year, and her husband has a son with the same name as mine. They live in the house with us. Shuuichi is young and looks to me for guidance. His father's name is Kazuya. My mother's surname became Hatanaka."

"Why?"

"Because she is married."

"I don't follow."

"It's a custom," said Kurama a little exasperated. He discovered years ago that it was easier to shrug things off as a custom instead of explaining them. It saved time and headaches in the long run.

"Oh. Well if its a custom I suppose it's alright."

He smiled, putting an arm around her. He loved how wolfish she really was underneath the human. She never really did become a human, just took the appearance of one. Her mannerisms seemed different, but that was only to lead anyone astray of tracing the persona San back to Moriko. It was clever, and something he himself should have thought of. But it was too late now. Everything he did now was to please his mother. It was the persona he fit himself into. He was also not completely demon in this form. San looked human, even smelled human, but she was a demon in the end. He was half human, and that made most of the difference between their situation. She rested her head where his heart was. He smiled fondly, looking down at her, remembering the conversation he had with her about heartbeats. His thoughts were short lived, as their train came to a stop. The two of them stood, Kurama holding her hand as they walked off the train.

The walk was a bit lengthy, he chose it on purpose, wanting some more time for her to prepare. She didn't seem too nervous, her demeanor being calm. She was a master at hiding her emotions. They strolled, the day wearing on. Kurama finally brought them to his house, where his family he was sure, waited for his arrival. Dinner started every day at the same time, and today was no exception. He hadn't had the chance to tell his mother that he was bringing San. His mother thought that he was out with a school mate, part of a study group. How he was able to get away with it for three weeks was amazing, but it happened. He stopped then, letting San take in the house.

"Are you ready?" he asked calmly.

"That's a silly question," she answered. He smiled, and then led her to his home. He opened the door, the aroma of food in the air. Right on time. They slipped off their shoes and San followed Kurama down the hallway.

"Mother! I'm home!" Kurama called to the house.

"Oh, Shuuichi, I wish I knew that you were coming," San heard the woman call back to her son. San observed everything in the house. There were pictures of Kurama as a child, another child she assumed was his brother. In the living room, there was more pictures, and even a couple of portraits. She saw the pictures from the wedding day, and a small pang was in her heart. All these memories and pictures, aspects of her mate's life that she had missed out on. She wished she was there for them, that she was able to experience them with him.

"You brought a friend home. Is this the one you stayed with for the past little while?" San saw Shiori for the first time. She was beautiful, for a human.

"No mother. This is San."

"So this is the famous San we keep hearing about," said Kazuya, the step father. He extended his hand and San shook it timidly. She was so overwhelmed it was hard for her to really figure out what was going on.

"San Chiya," she at least remembered her manners. That was a start.

"Shuuichi said you were away at school overseas. Is there a break in the semester?" asked Shiori.

"Oh, um, no. I'm back for good now," San smiled a bit awkwardly. That was one detail they hadn't gone over.

"You're studies are all over? You might even give our Shuuichi a run for his money then," Kazuya laughed lightheartedly. San smiled again, unsure of how to respond to that.

"Actually, while San was in school with me, she did best me in every subject. My grades were second to hers," said Kurama.

"Thatta girl!"

"Thank you," said San, bowing slightly. She knew most of the customs and Genkai did teach her a thing or two about etiquette.

"Oh Shuuichi, I'm so happy you finally brought home a girl," said Shiori.

"You don't have many friends, do you?" San muttered to her mate.

"Later," he responded.

"And such a looker, your parents must be proud," said Kazuya. That was something San was unsure of. What would she say about her parents? She supposed there was no harm in embellishing the truth.

"How was your flight?" asked Shiori.

"The flight? Oh, it was... it was good, very comfortable," answered San.

"We can continue this discussion in a moment. San, you must stay for dinner. Shuuichi! Dinner!" Shiori called to Kurama's brother. San awkwardly followed Kurama to their supper table. At least she dodged the bullet there. She sat, wondering if she was expected to get up and help or if she was supposed to just stay there. Everybody was different, and expected different things. Kurama didn't move, so San followed his lead. She wasn't sure though if he stayed put because he was male or not. Either way, she was sure he would tell her what was expected of her. The food did smell very good, and there was so much of it. It looked a little funny, but San ate a "lady's" share of it. Truth be told, it was a little bland, but still good.

"So what do your parents do?" asked Kazuya.

"They're dead," she answered simply, taking another bite of her... well, whatever it was in front of her.

"I'm so sorry..." said Shiori sadly.

"No worries. It was a long time ago, no point in living back then, I just have to focus on right now."

"A strong one, Shuuichi," Kazuya complimented, "How did it happen? Or am I overstepping the line?"

"Oh well, my mother died giving birth to me and my father is estranged. After my mother passed, he never really wanted much to do with me, because of my resemblance to her, you understand. I was very young when it happened," explained San without a trace of remorse. It was so long ago, it didn't cause her all that much pain anymore. Of course, her father had really not been around before she was even born, but he was there in a strange way.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," said Shiori.

"There's no need to be sorry. Things happen, all we have to do is go on."

"Very true. We could all learn a thing or two from her," said Kazuya. San couldn't shake off the brother's stare at her. Why was he staring? Didn't he know that was rude? She could do something very in appropriate right now, but she knew that it would upset her mate. She decided against it, but she wasn't going to just let him sit there and stare like that.

"So, young Shuuichi, how's your schooling coming along?" San asked with a raised brow. The boy turned red, before mumbling something and looking down at his plate. San smiled. That should learn him to stare. Not that she had anything against him, it was just hard enough to focus without him staring at her.

"So tell me, do you live alone or are there relatives you're staying with?" asked Shiori.

"I have a distant relative I live with. I have no idea how she's exactly related to me, but I was placed in her care around the age of eight," San knew that when you were going to lie, it was best to stick as close to the truth as possible.

"You were very young..." said Shiori. San suspected that this woman's compassion got the better of her in most situations.

"How did you and Shuuichi meet?" asked Kazuya. It seemed that being depressed was finally out.

"We met at school. San was in my class, competing with me. She did very well," Kurama stepped in. _That _was something they should have figured out in the first place. It was no good saying, oh well, nearly 2000 years ago blah, blah. She stifled a laugh just thinking about the reaction she could have gotten from that. At least her almost laugh fell into context.

"That's why you advanced overseas, right?"

"Yes," San answered modestly, "My grades were so good, they offered me an apprenticeship and off I went. I missed home too much though, so I'm going to be staying here."

"What did they send you off to do?" asked Shiori. Everyone had finished eating by now, and the mother was picking up the plates and placing them in the kitchen, waiting for them to be washed.

"It was for photography. I excelled in it, and so I was sent across Europe to photograph ancient architecture."

"That certainly sounds exciting."

"It is. I love traveling."

"Darling, it's time for our show," said Kazuya.

Shiori looked at the wall clock, "Oh yes. Excuse me, we've been waiting all week for this show to come on."

San smiled, "Not a problem."

"We'll leave you two to catch up. You can stay in Shuuichi's room tonight. I'm sure he won't mind," said Kazuya, giving his step son a sly look.

"You're sure? I can make it home just fine."

"Nonsense, we'd be happy to have you," said Shiori.

"Don't worry about the dishes mother, San and I will handle them," said Kurama, giving his mate a slightly hardened look. She remained unresponsive, as she followed him into the kitchen and began scrubbing pots. She liked to finish pots first because they were the most time consuming, "I don't appreciate you tampering with their minds like that," Kurama stated, his voice a little cold.

"I didn't want to be forced onto a couch or have you bunk with your brother. I only suggested that it be a good idea that I sleep with you tonight. This way, you can keep a REAL close eye on me," San replied mildly, without even bothering to look at him. Kurama thought about her statement. It was true, this way he wouldn't have to sneak around his mother. He hated lying to her, but it was necessary. San had simply just taken that out of the equation and made it so that this act was honest. He sighed in defeat, "I knew you'd see it my way," said San, smiling. They finished with their dishes, and headed straight to his room.

San had never been in her mate's room before. She wasn't really sure of what to expect, considering they never really had a permanent den. There was a big window in the room, obviously letting in quite the bit of light. The bed was right beside it, and San liked that. The sun had gone down, and the moon would be out soon. Everything in this room was so neat and organized, and she definitely approved of that. A computer without a speck of dust on the desk or on it. The dresser had but a few things on it, and then a simple night table with a lamp. The computer desk had a place for him to do his school work, which was neatly packed away on the shelf. There were pictures of his mother, and his family. San saw a picture of herself that she was not expecting. She walked up to observe it, picking up the frame gently. The sun was on her hair so perfectly that it made her look angelic. She was looking longingly into the blue sky, as she was perched on her favourite tree. The photo was taken from an upward angle, her arms lazily on her bent knees. Her tawny eyes were unfocused, and her hair blew slightly in the wind. It was breathtaking.

"Where did you get this?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Last summer. You don't remember?"

"I don't remember you having a camera."

"I didn't. My cell phone sufficed. I used my computer to enhance it, and then I framed it."

"Why this one?"

He walked up and took the picture from her, observing it with love in his eyes, "Because it shows your true self. In this moment I caught of you, I saw all the pain you endured, all the scars in your life. But I also saw the joy you've had. In this, I see the lone wolf who wishes to break free of her entrapment, and return to a life most true. This tells your whole life story in a single glance," he put an arm around her then, setting the picture down but still looking at it, "And you look so beautiful," he added as an afterthought. San didn't know what to think at that point. She kissed her kitsune, her feelings strong. He held her close, his thumb on her cheek. They pulled back, her tawny eyes soft. His green orbs showed his love for her, and it put a warm feeling in her. She kissed him again.

...

Kurama lay awake in his bed. The moon was shining directly on his mate. He looked down at her sleeping form, smiling. She was facing him, on her side. The moon was directly on her face, giving her a bluish look. Despite his feelings earlier, he was happy that she put the suggestion of sleeping in his room in his mother and step father's mind. He thought back to what Itsuki had said about her psychic powers. It was her choice if she wanted to learn how to control a mind. He trusted her judgement on when to use it. He was just worried. She was already so powerful, and to her it didn't seem like enough. She didn't need training for this tournament. Only to face Yusuke, Hiei, Mukuro, Yomi, and himself. He remembered the power he felt when she was at Raizen's grave. Her powers were easy to pick out, since they were shining the brightest. Yet she was still going to train. He was going with her, knowing that Genkai would be efficient in her training. It was no wonder San and Yusuke were so powerful so quickly. Nevertheless, he was happy that she was back with him now. He gently brushed a lock of hair out of her face. She was so gorgeous. He missed her the past year. He kissed her cheek, and she snuggled into his arms.

"Sleep," she commanded in a small voice.

"But the moon is out," he smiled.

"That's nice."

He chuckled a bit to himself, before pulling her close and sleeping. San was smiling at his antics.


	55. Unexpected Confrontation

San started by sniffing out the temple. The trail was quite cold, and it was hard to catch Genkai or Yukina's scent. She had to come back here anyway to shower and change clothes. Of course, Kurama's mother really wanted them to stay, but meeting Shiori was enough. There were other times, San was sure. Her mate couldn't pick up a trace of them, but that didn't surprise her. His nose was nothing like hers, and not quite what it used to be. Human noses just weren't good. And that's when she decided to change into her wolf form. Going back into wolf form scared her at first. She pushed her fears aside, however, feeling secure with her mate's eyes on her. He was staring at her, an unrecognizable look on his face. She lolled her tongue out, and then licked his hand. He smiled warmly at her, wiping his hand off on his clothes. She caught a faint trace of Genkai's scent. She could feel Yukina, demon energy feeling stronger than spirit. She walked out to the front of the temple, her mate beside her. Instead of going towards the stairs like San expected, she was following the trail to the forest. She padded along, Kurama right behind her. Deeper into the forest, to a part of it that she did not recognize.

When Genkai said three days outside of the city, San knew that it meant three days for Kurama. Her goal was to make it less, and they could cut that time in half with the amount that they had been running. She had a fix on Yukina's energy, and changed into Moriko. She turned to face her mate, who was a bit shorter than her in human form. Her tawny eyes watched as his green orbs became golden right before her. They gradually rose and Youko stood before her. He kissed her, and then the two of them set off. She smiled as she ran. He had increased his speed over the time she spent enjoying her freedom, but she was still faster, meaning that she had as well. They ran for most of the day, and when the moon rose, Moriko stopped. This territory was unfamiliar, and she was unsure of her bearings. She could smell nothing of civilization, and she knew that they were well outside of the city.

"What is it, beloved?" Youko asked her.

"The trail, I cannot feel it anymore," she responded.

He sniffed, "There is nothing but forest around."

"Exactly. The trail stops here, and we aren't even a day outside of the city."

"Maybe they took flight on that beast?"

"It's possible. I do not know why they would use Puu after this far unless they were in a hurry."

"Perhaps we should check the top of the forest."

"Yes," she agreed, and jumped to the top of the trees. Youko was beside her, and the two of them searched for some sort of sign. The moon was caught behind clouds, making it hard to see in the dark. But she was a wolf, and her eyes adjusted quickly, "What's that there?" she asked, pointing off into the distance.

"It looks like smoke," he replied. He raised his head and sniffed the air, "I cannot smell it."

"Let's head towards it. If there is unpleasantness there, it is no threat to us."

"Right."

They continued on their journey, only they stuck to the trees. It didn't seem like they were getting any closer to it at all. Moriko found that strange. Perhaps the smoke was further than they thought? A chill wind blew, and it made the two demons stop in their tracks. Something was about, something unfriendly. Youko looked at her. She returned his gaze, and then he nodded. They quietly dropped so that they could see the forest floor. Moriko couldn't smell anything about, and she found that strange. The only way that could happen is if someone knew her so well, that they covered up their scent. Their energy must have been so weak that she couldn't feel it, or that particular someone knew of her talents, and knew how well her mind worked. But there was only one person that knew her so well. Hate in her tawny eyes, Moriko jumped down to the floor.

"Alright Natsuko. Show yourself," she barked out to the seemingly empty wood. Everything remained quiet. She knew that Youko would stay in the trees, in case there was something out there. Then, a demon came out from behind the tree that Moriko's eyes were upon. Her wolf ears and tail were brown, her long flowing hair looking white in the dark. In actuality, it was a pale blond. She didn't stand as tall as Moriko herself, but she was every inch a Queen.

"Well look, if it isn't the bitch who betrayed us," said Natsuko, her dark ebony eyes focused on Moriko.

"You've been waiting for me. Why?"

"I wanted to greet you properly, check in, see how you're doing and such."

Moriko's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "What do you want?"

"Ever so angry," purred the wolf Queen, walking slowly up to her, "I thought you would be happy to see such and old friend."

"You know better than that," Moriko gritted between her teeth.

"I just thought that we could go for a midnight hunt. Like in the old days."

"No."

"You're inconsistent, Moriko. First you wish to know what I want, and then you refuse to go with me to find out?"

"You can tell me here."

"Or, you could go walking with me," there was an edge to Natsuko's voice.

"And if I refuse?"

"I'll kill the fox," she said smiling. Her head gestured behind the wolf and Moriko turned. Her tawny eyes widened, seeing Youko gagged, tied and on his knees.

"What did you do to him?" Moriko turned back to her enemy, her powers of darkness ablaze.

"You remember the Clurican you came across all those years ago?"

"What of it?"

"Turns out that with a simple touch of its leaf, it can weaken any fox demon it comes across."

"What?" she turned back to her mate.

"Yes. Not poisonous like Polistros to us, but it does weaken him greatly. He's weaker than a new born pup right now, making it very easy to corner him. Now, that lovely bloke there has a deadly blade. It's hooked, so it makes it much more dangerous coming out than going in. I give the word, and you can watch your fox die in front of your eyes, knowing that you are powerless to stop him. Or, you come for a walk with me, and we can settle this. What do you say?"

Moriko looked into the golden eyes of her mate. He was weak yes, but he was still in demon form, "He is still stronger than you think, Natsuko."

"Oh yes, Youko Kurama, the legendary bandit. Merged with a human to save his life, am I right? Your thinking that because he is still in demon form that he's powerful," Natsuko had made it close to Moriko by then. She leaned up on her toes, her lips right against Moriko's ear, "But you see, Moriko, it also traps him to this form, making him unable to commute with his human self," she moved to the other ear, laying a hand on the wolf's shoulder, "Come with me, or he dies," Natsuko whispered, licking Moriko's cheek.

Moriko's rage was at an all time high, "NEVER!" she screamed, and a burst of dark energy left her. It blew Natsuko and her underlings away, leaving Youko struggling on his knees.

"Bitch! Learn your place!" yelled Natsuko, recovering quicker than Moriko thought she would.

"No. You learn your place Natsuko," Moriko's voice was dark, and she began to rise off the ground, "I am not going to participate in anything to do with you. I am no longer responsible for the welfare of this clan. I left that life behind years ago, and I intend to keep it that way. You have blood all over your hands, and they will never come clean. You threaten my mate, and therefore threaten me. I will show you what happens to those who defy me!" and with her powers at her command, she lashed them out. It dissolved the two underling wolves before it even touched them. Natsuko looked on in horror. She looked at Moriko, pleading. The tawny eyes were relentless, and Moriko fired another shot at her prey. Natsuko was quick.

"You haven't heard the end of this bitch!" the wolf yelled, before whimpering and running away.

Moriko shot another burst of energy in the enemy wolf's direction, but she knew that there was no chance of it hitting her. She lowered herself to the ground slowly, trying to calm herself down. Her breathing steady, she turned to her mate. She was filled with worry, running over to him, "Youko," she murmured. She observed him, feeding her energy into him. It was being rejected, however.

"Koishii..." he trailed, his voice weak.

"I'm so sorry, Youko," she said softly. She was worried, not knowing any of the effects of Clurican, nor how to counteract it.

"I can't keep myself conscious much longer, beloved."

"You have to stay with me, Youko... please..."

"I love you."

"Stop that, you're not dying."

"You're sure? I feel so weak..."

"That's what Clurican does. Highly effective against foxes. I just don't know how to cure it."

"Gawnbula. It cures everything except death."

"How am I supposed to use it?"

"You must... make it a liquid. Half a glass, more than that and it's fatal."

"I understand."

"I love you."

"Foolish kitsune. You are not dying, so stop trying to say good bye," she told him. He smiled weakly, and then he lost consciousness. Moriko was worried at that point. She did not know how much this plant would weaken him. Would he revert back to fox form? That would truly show his weakness. She could change into the form of a wolf. It was her weakest form, yes, but it heightened her senses greatly. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think about such things. She pulled his arm about her shoulders, and stood. He was heavy, that was for sure. She struggled to stand, and then used some of her power to take some of the weight off of her. She began to walk in the direction of the smoke again. It was going to be slow going now.

After about three hours of walked, Moriko placed her mate down so that he could rest against a tree. She was tired, but she knew she had to keep going. She was completely lost, following no trail. She decided he would be safe here, and took to the trees to get an idea of where she was. The sun was getting ready to peak out over the horizon. The smoke was getting closer, and she could see the top of a building. She was still very far away. At the rate she was travelling, it would take her maybe another day and a half to reach. Her mind set, she dropped down back to her mate. He was still unconscious. His breathing was normal, not so ragged as it was before. She sighed with relief. He was getting better. She gently grazed his cheek with her fingertips. He grabbed her hand, his eyes opening slightly.

"Koi... shii..." he spoke. He was still weak.

"Hush now. Just rest, I'll help you with this as soon as I can. Sleep, mai oshiii kistune," she told him softly. He was already back out, however. His hand was still limply holding hers. She kissed his forehead, and then he gripped her hand tighter. Her tawny eyes were focused on his. He wasn't awake, but he was in pain, and she could feel it. He grunted, and Moriko fed more of her energy into him, happy that it was finally starting to stick. She had to hurry. She had no idea what the effects of this plant would do, and how much worse it could get if not treated. How could she have let this happen? Natsuko was going to pay dearly for this. She looped his arm around her shoulders again, and set off. It was beginning to get increasingly hard with his weight and her energy feeding into him. He was taking it automatically, meaning that he needed it. Not only that, but she had to use her energy to hold up most of his weight.

The hours passed, the sun high with no cloud cover. At least the trees were nice enough to shade her from the rays of the sun. But the humidity was really getting to her, and she had no water. Still, she pressed on, Youko getting heavier with every step. Finally, she smelled something she was yearning for. Fresh water. She grunted, pulling Youko along and taking a long drink from a stream . She could feel the effects instantly. She looked over at her mate, and shook him slightly. He awoke for a brief moment.

"Drink," she commanded, bringing water to his mouth. He drank, nearly choking. She helped him, as he was still sucking energy from her. She found that to be strange. How was it that he wasn't getting any better? There had to be something she wasn't seeing here. She began to smell him, wondering what was there. She searched his person, his hair. She found it then, in the deepest part of his silver hair. It was a tiny piece of a leaf, but Moriko could tell that it was very potent. Natsuko must have made it so that it would be highly effective. Bitch. Moriko couldn't wait to corner her. She disposed of the leaf, while thinking of ways to take her revenge on Natsuko. She was really falling behind if she already had another person in line to kill. She was exhausted, however, and she leaned her head in her mate's lap. She was still thinking about all the revenge she could do.

...

_She sits in her prison, wishing she could see the light. The hum of the castle lights reach her ears, a same tired old song. She hates being here, and wishes she can leave. Her thought ends, and the door swings open. Curious, she approaches it. The corridor is long, and she walks for what seems like forever. She finally sees a door at the end. She proceeds towards it. Nothing prepares her for the horrors behind it. She sees a science lab looking room. She sees her hair, her blood. The screen shows where it is going. She follows it, and comes to a demon child. He is being engineered, contained on life fluids. She gasps, seeing resemblance to herself. She hears a door close, and turns behind her. Her tawny eyes widen at who is before her._

_"Yes, Moriko," he speaks. She is ready to scream._

_..._

She awoke suddenly. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep. She looked up at her mate, who was still in the same place as before. He was still taking energy from her, and she felt so drowsy. The moon was out, but covered with clouds, and she could smell the rain approaching. Scratch that, she felt the rain already. Sighing, she stood, having trouble staying on her feet. She began to lift her mate again, noticing that he was much bigger than she remembered. That was when she realized she no longer had the strength to remain in demon form. This was going to make things much harder. Her human nose could barely lift out the smoke over the forest and rain. Completely drenched, she pressed on.

San had no idea where she was, and she knew that she had lost all that time she gained while in demon form. It was the second day, and it was going to take the better part of a week to get there with this delay. All the while, Youko was getting worse. She had to stop and rest. She could only guess at the time, figuring it was around 4:00 am. She panted, finding it hard to breath. He was barely taking energy from her, which meant that he was getting better. Either that, or she could no longer give him enough without dying herself. She stared into the weeping sky, resting her eyes for a moment. She opened them again, suspecting the worse for this child. She heard Youko grunt, and turned to him with rapt attention.

"Beloved..." he spoke.

"Youko," she was right there.

"You are weak..." he trailed, placing a hand on her human cheek.

"It is of no moment. How are you feeling?"

"No different. It's hard to keep myself awake."

"Then sleep. We're almost there."

"You're lying..."

She smiled, "Foolish kitsune. You can't even tell your right from left right now."

"I'm sorry."

"It is I who should be apologizing. I should have been paying more attention."

"No... Don't blame yourself for not being able to protect me."

"You'd best follow your own advice."

He smiled, "You are even beautiful in this form."

"I am still me. No matter what I look like."

"Yes..." and he was back into unconsciousness.

...

San still pushed on. Her knees felt like collapsing under her, but her motivation was off the wall. She could finally smell Genkai. This mean that she was close. The smoke signal had disappeared a couple of days ago. Youko was in and out, but he was no longer taking energy from her. So long as she could stay in substantial wolf form, she knew she could make it. She wasn't weak enough to revert to spirit wolf. She would not let that happen. The day was promising, and she had a good feeling despite her exhaustion. Finally, the forest started to disappear. She was in a clearing, and there she saw a massive set of stairs not unlike the ones at Genkai's temple. She knew that Genkai and Yukina were here, smelling them clearly now with another scent. Still though, there was a huge amount of stairs.

She began to climb them, feeling tired with each movement. Youko on her back, she continued on without stopping. If she stopped now, she would collapse and she couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let that happen. Her vision was going fuzzy from dehydration and exhaustion. Half way up and she knew she couldn't make it anymore. There was one more option left. It was risky, but she felt like she had no other choice. She powered up the last of her energy, and jumped to the stop of the stairway, right as close to the entrance of the temple that she could manage. Her knees shook with her landing, and she placed Youko on the ground. Without that pressure, she collapsed, the world swirling.

San awoke in a room similar to hers back at the temple. It wasn't hers, however, the smell being completely different. But that didn't matter right now. She needed to know where her mate was. She jumped out of bed, which turned out not to be a good idea. She fell just as she stood, making a loud thumping noise. That hurt. Should have remembered that sitting up too fast would give her a head rush. Slowly, she got to her feet again, and used to nose to find her mate. The temple was huge, and San had absolutely no idea where she was. She remembered its vastness and how far away she could see it. She knew she was safe, however, sensing Genkai and Yukina. At first she thought it was strange that one of them hadn't come to find the source of the noise, but this place was so big that it would be hard to hear.

Her mate was above her, in the upper levels. She climbed the stairs, cursing the idiot who decided to invent them. It was at least three flights before she was on the same floor as him. Of course, he was all the way at the opposite end of it. Just figured. Sighing, she made her way down there. The last door on her right side and there was Youko, asleep in a bed. She went to sit by his bedside, and grabbed his hand. He looked a lot better, and even peaceful now. She was relieved, and rested her head in her other hand for a moment.

"San," she heard a voice behind her.

"Genkai," she acknowledged her mentor without taking her attention off her mate.

"I wasn't expecting the two of you to show up on Kyrokai's doorstep like this. I was expecting just Kurama."

"I'm sure you were," said San, not knowing exactly how to respond to that. She heard Genkai walking, and the old woman perched herself on the other side of Youko.

"I'm happy that you both are safe. Kurama had informed me of everything he was planning."

"I assumed he would."

"What happened that you're so weak you can't remain in your true form? And why is he stuck like this?"

"A plant I came across centuries ago. Turns out it is lethal to foxes, zaps their energy, but it forced him to remain like this. I suppose it's to add torture. I'm assuming you took the necessary precautions?"

"Yes. Kyrokai keeps all manner of spirit plants blooming. Gawnbula was administered to him as soon as we saw you."

"Thank you."

"You still haven't told me how someone was able to get to him so easily."

"It was my fault. I should have known..." San trailed. She knew Genkai was waiting, so she took a deep breath before beginning, "You know of my brother? The reason that I'm no longer ruling the wolf clan, and who took my place on the throne?" Genkai nodded. San continued, "The bitch who took my place was a friend some time ago. I knew she had eyes for my brother, but in fact, it was just for power. When my brother was killed, she knew that I was the only thing in the way for her to be in power. I taught her many things before all of this, and which compounds would make her virtually undetectable. I knew these skills, I even taught them to Youko. She used everything I had taught her, and was able to get to him without my knowledge. I should have been paying more attention, but my anger got the best of me."

"Despite all the training you've had, that has always been your downfall. You must learn to fight without emotion. So what did you do?"

"My powers were at an all time high. I killed the underlings and she got away. I would have pursued, but I was worried about him."

There was a pause. Youko's breathing was normal, his hand squeezing hers. He was awake, but not completely there, she knew.

"How is Yusuke?" Genkai asked tentatively.

"He is well. His father passed, and in the absence, he has decided to have a tournament to determine who will be the over King of Makai. Everyone can enter."

"And that's why you two have come to me. For more training."

"Yes. After what happened, I knew I would need it."

"A lot of it. We'd better get started."

...

thank you, all readers. thanks to my reviewers, i love you all, and i hope to hear more feedback from all of you :)


	56. Dizzying Intellect

KuramaMustangElric... i can't bloody well tell you, now can i? :p thanks again to those who read and review, wish i heard a lil more feedback tho. anyways.. on with the show!

...

"Is Kurama okay?" asked Yukina. The girl sat on the opposite side of San in her mate's room. Genkai had left a couple of hours ago, but San would stay here until he awoke. He was still in demon form, but she no longer felt his pain.

"I think so. I can't feel anything," San replied.

"That's good. I was so worried when I found you two a couple of days ago."

"A couple of days?"

"That's right. I don't know how long you'd been there, but I could feel some kind of struggle coming towards the temple for days."

"I was hoping you would feel that. I was using Youko's energy to send out for help. I knew that you two were around, but demons can feel each other a lot easier than humans and their reiki. I didn't think I passed out for that long though."

"Genkai said that you had used up almost all of your life energy to sustain the two of you. She couldn't make a guess about how long you two were out there."

"At least a week, maybe a day or two more. I lost track of time when it became harder to see where I was going. I just followed the smoke."

"Well, I'm happy you're both going to be okay. I was worried for a while when we saw no progress the first day."

"Thanks lady," San smiled at Hiei's sister. She looked at her mate and wondered why he was still in demon form. What happened to the human side of him? If the Gawnbula could cure him, then why was it that he was still Youko? Not that she was complaining. She did find him more attractive in this form, probably because that's how she knew him for all those years. Not to say that the girly hair and eyes weren't all that sexy, she just preferred his natural form, as he preferred hers. Her hand still in his, she took the other hand and rubbed his cheek. His skin was soft, and she smiled as she moved to play with his ear, just as he did to her while she slept. It twitched, his free hand going to swat at whatever it was that bugged him. San chuckled silently to herself, and repeated her process.

"San?" Yukina spoke up.

"Hm?"

"What... Um, well, what's it like to be in love?"

Now that was an interesting question. How was she supposed to answer that? "I'm not sure I can put it into words," she began, her eyes never leaving the face of her mate, "It's like a fire that never dies. It burns when you think about him, see him, feel him, know him, and even mate with him. It always keeps you warm at it's thought and feeling, and is always there when you need it for anything. It drives you to desire, to another world and beyond. It makes you feel complete, especially when they look at you, and you see the love you share in their eyes."

"Wow... You two have been together a long time?"

"Yes. Nearly 2000 years. I love him more now than when I first met him. It will never die."

"That's beautiful."

"I suppose so..." San trailed. Her attention was taken away from the conversation as her mate began to stir. San waited expectantly, and finally, she saw those gorgeous eyes open. They were tired and unfocused at first, and then he smiled, seeing her face. "Youko..."

"Koishii..." he spoke softly, his hand tightening around hers. Yukina politely excused herself and left the room. She was smart enough to know when it wasn't a good time to be around, and San respected that. The wolf moved to lay down with her fox. He wrapped his arms around her, "Where are we?"

"Some temple belonging to someone named Kyrokai. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Still a little fuzzy."

"I'd expect so. Genkai and Yukina gave you the Gawnbula.. you've been hurt for a little more than a week, and we've been here for two days. I woke up a few hours earlier myself."

"What happened?"

"Just energy loss. That's why I'm back to San."

"I noticed."

"Does it bother you?"

"No. You are still who you are, and I should remember that always."

San smiled, "Good."

"I'm still in demon form. I had thought that with the cure, I'd be back to Shuuichi."

"I was wondering about that myself."

"I cannot explain it. I just remember feeling weak, and then watching you kill those other wolves."

"Yeah, I can be a huge bitch when I want to. Especially if someone thinks they can fuck with you and get away with it."

Youko chuckled lightly, "It is refreshing to hear you speak like that."

San actually blushed, "I guess? Where is Shuuichi anyway? Why if you're so weak and the Clurican is gone, are you still you? Not that I'm complaining or anything..."

"I can't be certain... I can feel him slightly, but he seems to be disconnected from me..."

"That's weird... I'm going to go have a look."

"As you wish."

Before San reached into his mind, she wondered why she was so worried about the human. She knew she loved the human because he was carrying her mate, and some of his traits came to, but she knew also that they were separate. So what was going on in there? She pushed her mind, reaching the depths of her mate's. She felt some things she hadn't before.. but mostly his pain. The pain he carried while she was trapped, the pain he endured being separated from her for those years, the pain he felt when he found out about their young. She was surprised that he carried all of this with him. Then, a warm and feverish feeling came over her. All the love and care for her overwhelmed her mind, and she was nearly swept away and unfocused on her task. What a creature he was! How she loved him..

-Shuuichi?- she called out. Nothing. She tried again, searching deeper. Finally, she felt the familiar presence. No wonder when she reached into his mind all that time ago she didn't sense her mate. It was farther than she ever liked to probe.

-San?-

-Yes.-

-What's happened?-

Briefly, San explained it. -Why are you trapped here while you're weak?-

-I can't communicate at all with him. There's a gap, and it is becoming much bigger.-

-How long has this been happening?-

-The past year I felt us becoming distant.-

-...I see...-

-I miss you, San.-

-Yes, I know. I miss you.- and at that moment, she was taken out of his mind. She understood what was happening. He was having trouble balancing so many personalities at once. It wasn't like a medical condition, it was completely different. The brain was fighting for dominance, and Youko was winning. Her face was troubled, and her mate questioned it. But she couldn't say anything, as Genkai had ordered her to begin her training.

...

"I've told you before, you can't fight solely on your anger, that's how you make mistakes. It happened in the last tournament, and it'll happen in this one," said Genkai, while attacking San.

"That was because they were trying get me to submit to Karasu," San retorted, forgetting what it was like to train with the old woman.

"You think it'll be any different in this tournament? Stronger demons, S class will be fighting, and they'll try whatever dirty tricks they can."

"I'm aware of that!" San was starting to get fed up. But she knew that she had to do this.

"Are you? Then how is it you failed to protect your mate?"

That drew the line. San's powers flared up, but Genkai disappeared, or so it looked like. A simple, powerful shot to the back, and San was down. She felt a terrible pain in her back, and doubted she could walk.

"This is why you'll lose. You can't control your rage. You think that everyone is going to be impressed and stunned when you power up like that, but not the S class demons. They will be ready, and won't be struck to easily. We're done for today. Come, it is time for you to meet Kyrokai," said Genkai, waiting for the wolf to reach her feet. San stood, the pain in her back worse. She followed her mentor into the huge temple. She could smell the food Yukina was preparing, and realized that she hadn't eaten since she woke up. She was busy though, knowing that Genkai wouldn't let her leave at this moment. She sighed, ignoring her belly's protests and continued to follow her mentor. She walked down a long corridor, unsure of what to expect. They reached a huge door at the end of it, and Genkai pushed it open. San's tawny eyes widened. The room was huge, dim, and spotless. San's feet made no noise as she walked along the wood floor to where she was a figure sitting. Yes, it was so big that she couldn't see the person at the end of it clearly. Genkai was not surprised, but San wondered how long they'd actually been here. They approached the one called Kyrokai, someone San had never even heard of before. She was young, no more than 20, short dark brown hair. Her skin was an olive colour, her eyes golden brown, and strangely angular. San looked on curiously.

"Welcome to my temple, your Majesty," the musical voice of Kyrokai spoke to the wolf.

"Former Majesty," San corrected politely.

"Of course," Kyrokai said sounding amused. San wondered about that.

"Kyrokai is a seer. She's much older than I am and less incompetent than you," said Genkai.

"Interesting..." trailed San.

"Tell me, child, what is troubling you?" asked Kyrokai.

"Well first, your eyesight."

Kyrokai smiled, "She is very spirited Genkai. I'm happy that I'm able to meet with her."

"Well as of this moment, she's your problem," said Genkai, leaving the two of them alone. Kyrokai looked at San, smiling.

"Yes?" San questioned, wondering why Genkai wanted her to speak with this seer so badly.

"I can tell there is something troubling you," replied the seer.

"Really? Did you learn that in pretend to be psychic magic school? Or was it my dying mate that tipped you off?"

"He is not dying, child."

"I am not a child."

"Forgive me. But I see that you have many more years to go, and you're still at infancy."

"I hate dealing with seers," San grumbled.

"And why is that?"

"If you're really a seer, you would have foreseen this and know yourself."

"Because you believe we speak in riddles?"

"Bingo."

"Well, we can't very well tell you directly what's going to happen."

"Then what's the point of it all?"

"To warn you."

San screamed in frustration. It would be much better if she wasn't smiling so much about this shit. She didn't have time to be lead around by the nose, she had to train and take care of her mate. All this was doing was wasting time. She calmed herself, however. There was a reason for this, or else Genkai wouldn't have bothered with it at all.

"What are you trying to warn me of?"

"A curse that was laid upon you over a year ago today."

"What? Talk straight woman! I don't have time to figure out your riddles."

"That is true. You remember a beast your mate disposed of? One that pursued you?"

"Karasu? Impossible!"

"Only if that is the beast from a year ago."

"No, he was longer than that... Ryo?"

"Perhaps. He cursed your name before he perished."

"Yeah, definitely Ryo."

"The attack on your mate is not only from your enemy. It is his curse placed upon you."

"Excuse you?"

"Yes, child. But this is not the only complication to expect. There will be more."

"Such as?"

"It is unclear at this moment. But be warned, Moriko Chie. For every step you take towards your future brings you closer to your own destruction."

"Great, more riddles," San scoffed, "Anything else you want to be fuzzy headed about?"

"There is more, but I cannot be sure about it right now. When it comes to me, I will be sure to let you know."

"Why is it that you're going out of your way for this?"

Kyrokai smiled then, "You are a very important being in these worlds. I would hate to see for your future to go as it is not intended."

"Right. Tell me something else then. How is my mate? Any dire consequences he's going face because of this?"

"He will make a full recovery, however, he will feel less whole as the time passes, until he makes his choice."

San sighed, "Thanks anyway. I should go see him now," and she didn't even wait for a response before leaving. Stupid seers never making any sense. She was never like that with her visions. Not that she even had them anymore. What was going on with that? Was it part of this far-fetched curse Kyokai was speaking of? How could a vampire emit such a curse in the first place? She didn't want to think about it. Supper was ready, and she was going to bring her's up to her mate and eat with him. She had some sort of idea of what the seer was speaking of, but she didn't know how she was supposed to help with that at all. She decided to see how this went, and not tell her mate unless it was absolutely necessary. Sure, she promised she would tell him if something happened, but nothing had yet, so there was no need. She was hoping this curse business wasn't real.

...

_She awakes, pain in her head. She struggles to remember why she was asleep in the first place. She holds the source of the pain, while she rises to her feet. She widens her tawny eyes, seeing that she is contained in a fake forest setting. The walls are made of glass, and a small stream passes through it. She is heavily guarded, and the pain in her head subsides. She watches as one of the guards leave, and she presumes he is getting his master. Good, she is ready to kill whoever it is that has trapped her. She tries to send out a thought, trying to find some sort of bearings. She gasps, her powers unable to leave passed the cage. She punches the in glass in her frustration, knowing it will not break. She charges her powers, getting herself ready to burst the glass which imprisons her._

_"I would not recommend that," speaks a familiar voice behind her. She turns, and finds herself stunned at yet another sight._

_"Yomi?"_

_"Hello Moriko. It is so good to see you."_

_"I do not appreciate that."_

_"Forgive me, it is not my intention to offend you."_

_"Then why have you placed me here?"_

_"Insurance."_

_"Explain."_

_"As you wish," he walks towards her more, but keeps his distance, "Do you know of Raizen? And Mukuro?"_

_"Yes."_

_Her captor smiles, "Why does that not surprise me? After Youko rendered me blind and the two of you deserted me with the rest of my pack, I did not know where my journey through life would take me. But as it happened, what the two of you did was a blessing in disguise. My senses are heightened, I'm fairly sure my nose could come very close to matching yours. But what is more important, I became a contender of power, up to the league of the two other kinds, Raizen and Mukuro."_

_"Is that supposed to impress me?"_

_"No. Although I will continue to my point, as I can hear the edge in your voice when you start to get angry. The power on the balancing scale is about to change. I need Youko Kurama, your mate to help me, plan out a campaign to retaliate."_

_"How is he even supposed to get here you stupid beast? How was it that you even managed to get me here?"_

_"Weaken your power, and you are no longer considered an S class demon. The kakai barrier reads energy levels and gives that a rank. It was quite easy for me to get you here. I've sent your mate a personal invitation, I'm sure he will be here when most convenient for his new human life. As for you, I highly recommend that you don't do anything foolish like try to break out of here."_

_"You think you have the power to contain me?"_

_"I know that you are powerful, Moriko, especially with light and dark at your disposal. But do you see those vents in every corner of this cell? Anything suspicious, and my guards push a button that releases a very concentrated Polistros gas. It could kill you within ten minutes, so I do not think it would be wise to test your strength against it. Now, if there is anything I can do for you, please, do not hesitate to ask. I do apologize for these circumstances, but it is the only way to ensure that I get what is required to become over King of the Makai."_

_"You're a monster."_

_"To you it seems I am, but I am doing what is right. You've always been a big believer in that," he tells her, and begins to walk away. The door closes, symbolizing her sealed in. She screams in frustration, hating her incompetence to foresee._

_..._

A couple days passed, and San didn't have much time to think about Kyrokai's "warning". She had nothing to think about except training. Genkai wasn't giving her any time for anything else. It felt like back when she first met Genkai, and had turned into San. Her power was almost back to normal. If she had gotten to rest more, it would be, and she would have a better chance. But she wasn't sure if Genkai was trying to get her to change to her demon form for not. Her rage issues were getting better, but they weren't completely gone yet. Genkai knew exactly how to get to her. She was right, San would always feel this way when anyone spoke ill of her mate. He probably had complete control over in situations like this. He was probably calm and demure, like he always was when faced with conflict. That was one thing he could always do better, which was why her skills were better left to him rather than she taking charge.

But today Genkai was going to give her a break, and actually let her see him. The problem was, he was no longer bed ridden. So where would he go? If he was trapped in demon form, he wouldn't have much interest in Genkai, Yukina or Kyrokai. But then again, maybe the seer had called him, to warn him. San pondered that, walking towards the room the seer resided in. Her suspicions were confirmed when she could smell her mate on the other side of the door. Only, he wasn't in demon form, he was Shuuichi again. San burst through the doors and ran towards her mate. He stood, just as she flew into his arms.

"You're back," she said.

"Yes. Kyrokai was nice enough to pull me out of the depths of my own mind," he said calmly.

"You did that?" asked San. She didn't understand, didn't know how she was feeling. She was so happy to see the human side, even though she was searching for years for her mate as he was. As the fox bandit she had fallen in love with. But he was still him, no matter what he looked like... right? Why was this so confusing? It never seemed so complicated before...

"Yes, child. I am not your enemy, but a friend," replied Kyrokai.

"She brought me back, and told me that I would be facing a life changing choice in the near future," said Kurama. San looked at him. He must have known what was happening then. It couldn't get more clear than that. That definitely gave her something to think about. She would have to lose one of them, and she wasn't quite sure how that sat with her. But it was of no moment. San rested her hand in her mate's. He smiled at her, looking back at the seer, "Thank you," he was always so polite. The two of them left then, Kurama's hand not leaving his mate's. She wasn't sure where they were going, but she let him lead her to where ever it was. They walked outside, the sky covered in clouds, making it look pretty depressing. He took her into the woods, not too far, however, and stopped. He let go of her hand, and looked at her slyly.

"I see," she said, jumping out of sight. Kurama smirked, loving how quick her mind was. She was virtually undetectable within minutes, and he knew that she could be anywhere. She also knew him very well, and he had to think about what he wouldn't do, which she would also take into account. That is what made training with her so tricky, and it felt good to be out and using his mind again.


	57. Holidays

Hello! Here is a late thing I cooked up over the holidays, thought I might as well since the series doesn't really go over a christmas, and since there is no indication of the time frame between christmas and the tournament, we'll just pretend that it all works. It is my story after all :p. That being said:

...

Snow. It was cold, it was wet, and it was everywhere. San wasn't too big a fan of snow. If it was warm, she'd like it. But being a human in a world filled with frozen water didn't appeal to her. She remembered liking snow at one point, but that may have been when her shape was more of a wolf. But without fur, how was she supposed to keep warm? Genkai had given her many things to sustain over the winter, and she hunted around the forest to save on having to go out into the city where people were complete idiots because of the snow. And yet, she always seemed to feel cold. Her room wasn't so bad, the tarp hung over the courtyard for her plants keeping the cold out. But still, she didn't like to just sit in her room. There had to be a way to just not have winter. She was going to speak to Koenma harshly for this, now that she could without her existence being a problem.

But what would be the point? San was sure that Koenma would just try to create more snow. Yukina, of course, was happy. She grew up on a frozen island, it was only natural that she felt more at home with frozen temperature's. Not cool. It really sucked to have snow everywhere. Winter was just depressing. Nothing grew, the sun was barely out, the trees had no leaves, it was cold and it was wet. How was San supposed to live like this? She couldn't even sit in her favourite tree because it was all cold and wet. Not that there was really anything to look at anyway. How was it that people put up with this? She smiled, her nose catching a lovely scent in the air. It was her mate. She forgot about that fun fact.

She smiled, knowing when he opened the temple door and greeted the other two occupants. He was always so polite, a characteristic of his human nature. Not that she really minded at all, she just found human customs very strange. She knew that he would sit and make small talk for a bit, and then he would come and see her. She was, of course, sitting in her room. The door to the courtyard was shut, it being cold with the winter settling in. She smiled at him when he opened the door, kissing him as he approached her.

"Have you been waiting long?" he asked, sitting down on the bed beside her. She was reading a medical text.

"Nah, just woke up," she replied, marking her page and closing the book.

"Earlier than usual."

"Later I'd say. Usually Genkai has me up early, but she relaxes in the winter. Not much to do usually."

"I suppose there is no more training left."

"There's always training. We'll live for many more years according to that stupid seer."

"Why do you insist on insulting her?"

"Because I hate seers. They never tell you exactly what they mean, just speak to you in riddles and then you have to figure it out. It makes it such a useless warning, might as well wait and see what happens."

"You speak in riddles."

"I'm a wolf."

"You are also a seer, San."

"But a wolf in the end."

He smirked, "How could I forget?"

"Especially considering how smart foxes are supposed to be."

"That being said, there is something else I wish to discuss with you."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Around the end of this month, there is a human celebration known as Christmas."

"Christmas?"

He nodded, "That's right."

"So, what does that have to do with me?"

"My family gets together. We have dinner, visit and exchange presents."

"I'm still not following what any of that crap has to do with me?"

"You will be present," he was commanding.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, San. They are expecting you to be there, and you will be."

"I suppose I will."

"You will also be expected to buy presents for some of them."

"I don't understand. Why?"

"It's the tradition. It happens all around the world on just one day. Every human gathers gifts for loved ones and close friends, coworkers and whatnot. They exchange them on this day."

"It's sounds quite silly, Kurama. Why are they going through all kinds of effort to make themselves look better like this?"

"I'm not quite sure, San, but it's expected of us. I will help you shop and wrap them."

"Wrap them?"

"Yes. We wrap them to make it sort of a surprise?"

"Why?"

Kurama shrugged, "It's a custom."

"Oh, well if its a custom I suppose it's alright... But whats the point in going through all this materialism crap? It doesn't change how anyone really feels, and besides, all that paper is a mess and produces more garbage. It's not much of a custom."

"No, perhaps it isn't, but as you've said, humans are silly creatures."

"Fucking right they are. Look at this beautiful world they've destroyed."

"That's enough now, San. You have money, right?"

"Yeah I've got a stash. Funny thing is, I have no reason to spend it, so it just keeps piling up. I ended up burying a lot of it in the forest."

Kurama smiled, "Does Genkai know this?"

"How am I supposed to know? Probably though, nothing gets by her."

"You'd better hope that no one finds it."

"Nah. You need a good nose to find it, and there's no way to stumble upon it by accident, not without being eaten by wolves first."

"Oh? You know the wolves in the forest?"

"Of course I do."

"Should I be jealous?"

"Jealous? We're mated for life you twit."

"It was a joke, San."

"Oh. Now I feel pretty stupid."

"Never koi," he spoke softly, kissing her.

...

San's solution to shopping was simple. Take enough money out of the stash, and appoint Keiko for shopping. Yukina was a demon, like San herself, and Genkai had never mentioned Christmas, so there was no need to pester her with such foolishness. Kurama did offer to help, but if she was supposed to buy him a gift and not let him see it, how was he supposed to help her with that? It would make the custom quite stupid, and San was a wolf, so she had to honour customs. Her first stop was the woods where the wolves resided. She didn't bother with coats and hats and boots, just changed her form and left. The other occupants of the house were used to her wolf form, so there was no need to worry about startling them with her shape changing. She got out the door, and started running towards the forest.

It wasn't hard to find the only pack of wolves there, especially since she had been there plenty of times over the years. The ground was cold on her paws, but as she loped, they barely touched the forest floor. Wolves didn't hibernate, and that made things easy in the winter to find them. She was familiar with the pack leader, and knew all of the customs. Once she got deep enough into the forest, she sat on her haunches, and waited. The other wolves would smell her, that was certain. It didn't take long, it never does. Three females and one male approached her, sitting on their haunches in front of her.

"One is happy to greet your presence again, little sister," the pack leader spoke to her in the language of the wolves.

"One is happy to be received by the pack leader," San bowed her muzzle to him.

"How fares it with you?"

"It is well."

"Why have you returned to our realm?" one of the she-wolves questioned. She was the mate of the pack leader, and felt very threatened by San. Silly bitch, she should know that wolves mate for life.

"One is hunting for the prey which one has placed in the ground," San answered as nice as she could manage.

"You are most welcome, little sister. Feel free to stop in with the pack and replenish yourself," the pack leader spoke, much to the dismay of his mate. San knew better than that, however.

"That will not be necessary, I must continue on my hunt."

"May you seek what you desire," the pack leader bowed his grey shot muzzle. San also bowed, and then continued on her journey. Another half hour maybe, and she found her land mark. It was the only birch among the rest of the trees in the forest. She dug with her paws, pulling out a small satchel. She kept it between her teeth and then loped back to the temple. The wolves were gone, knowing her business in their territory. She enjoyed being with her own, but it was a life she left behind years ago.

...

_She hunts in the cold night. The sun is ready to settle down, but she pays no attention to it. She is not hunting for anything specific, just for the nights meal. Her mentor stays back, does not care for their meal. She goes deeper into the forest, further than she's ever been. The sun leaves an orange tinge in the sky, and she stops. She drops to her haunches, and smells the ground. She senses others, smells their scent. She sits and patiently waits. She knows the customs, and will not ignore them. She does not wait long, they knew she is there. She sees five shadows in the distance, all coming towards her. They stop not too far in front of her. They are sitting, their eyes on her. She knows which one is pack leader, as she understands their form. She bows her muzzle to him, showing him the respect she knows he deserves. His grey shot muzzle bows to her, and she waits for him to speak._

_"Why is it you have come?" he asks._

_"I have no intention of hunting your prey, drinking your water or sleeping your dens. I am simply passing by," she tells him._

_"You speak in a strange manner, little sister."_

_"One is not required to stay in this form."_

_"Ah. What is it you hunt for?"_

_"Some food for the darkness."_

_"Is that all?"_

_"Not entirely. I am on a long hunt for my mate."_

_"Ah. The search for one's mate can be lonely."_

_"Perhaps you should look elsewhere for your mate. I'm sure he will not be found here," the pack leader's she-wolf speaks. Her tawny eyes seek out the she-wolf. She rises, and is prepared to turn away. The pack leader rises as well._

_"You are welcome to our food, our water, and our den," he speaks to her. She turns to look at him. The bitch at his side looks ready to snarl. She ignores her, however, and follows the pack leader to their den._

...

"I can't believe you've never celebrated Christmas before!" said Keiko for the umpteenth time that day. The girl was overly excited when San asked for help shopping for her mate. It was good, San didn't particularly like asking for help, she was more of a lone wolf.

"Wolves have no need of materialistic celebrations," San reminded the girl gently.

"I know, but... I suppose it's different for me because its been apart of my life since I was little."

San smiled, "That's probably it."

"It's too bad Yusuke won't be here this year..."

"He's very busy, Keiko.

"Yeah..."

"I just find this silly human custom so strange."

"Oh?"

San sighed, "Never mind. You wouldn't understand, not being a wolf."

"I guess not. San, I'm not entirely sure how to help you with Kurama's gift. I don't really know him all that well."

"Well, what do you know about him?"

"Um, well, he's really good in school, he's well liked... he's really a fox demon..."

"That's really all?"

The girl blushed slightly.

San smiled, "I suppose it would be."

They walked in silence. But San knew it wouldn't last all that long. Ever since she met up with Keiko, San could tell that the girl had a personal agenda on her mind. She knew that Keiko was waiting for a good moment to spit it out. San wished that humans didn't do this, but she supposed it was almost like a game. "Hey San..." there it was. About time, "What's it like? You and Kurama, I mean... being together for so long and all..."

Of course. It seemed that no one knew what love was in this world. Although, hers was much different than most people. It lasted longer, that was for sure, and it functioned much differently than a regular human or demon romance. San didn't know what Keiko knew of the Makai, and what happened there, but she was sure that the human part was something she was accustomed to. But how would she describe it? "It's something I can't exactly put into words. Every experience is different, especially with different people. When I'm around him, I'm calm and safe. When I'm in pain, he feels it, just as I would feel his pain. We're linked in a demonic way, so it would be difficult to describe and compare it with regular human mating."

"I understand. I just love the way you two look at each other, especially the first time in the Demon World Tournament."

"What?"

"I saw the way you looked at Kurama when he changed into his demon form, the look on his face when he saw you for that brief moment. It's the same look he always gives you, it's just so wonderful. I wish I could find something like that."

San smiled, "Thank you. There is hope for everyone. The timing needs to be right, before we find out our true destiny. That is something I have learned on my journey through life."

Keiko's eyes lit up, "You're right."

The two of them walked through the mall. San wasn't very used to the mall, seeing as she spent very little time here. But Keiko knew her way around, and that was one of the reasons San appointed her to help her with this task. The things humans had for sale. San was sure there was a hidden away store where they sold their souls to others. It was hideous. Everything you could think of was being sold. An with all these options, she still could not think of what to get Kurama. That was, until she saw something shine in the corner of her eye. She walked up to it, Keiko not far behind her. She examined the object of her eye. It was a silver pendant, with a wolf carved into its center. It looked so alive, as if it were going to leap off. San was mesmerized by it, she found it hard to look away.

"That's beautiful," said Keiko breathlessly.

"And limited supply," the merchant spoke. San found his voice creepy.

"How much for it?"

"Well, it's the only one of its kind, and it's said to have very mystical properties. Looking at you, I'd say you could use it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" San asked, her tawny eyes facing the strange merchant. He was very short, and had a hump on his back.

"Just that you appear to be a lone wolf. Not many of those around this world.. or any world for that matter."

"Oh? You're a mystic."

"You are also not what you seem. Tell you what, you take it and give it to your mate. You'll find that he will be able to unlock its mystical power."

"What? You're giving it away for free?" asked Keiko.

"You can't put a price on something like this. I acquired this little thing with one instruction, that it will only go with one person, when the timing is right. I think today is that day. This young lady here is the first of all my customers to notice it. That is indeed a sign."

"Interesting..." San trailed. She took the necklace off of the peg on which it hung and deposited it in her bag. She decided she was not going to wrap this, as it would be ridiculous to do that to it, "Thank you," she said, before leaving the mall with Keiko.

"What do you think he meant by mysterious properties?" the girl asked as San took the necklace out of her pocket.

"I'm not quite sure, Keiko. But I know that I need to give this to Kurama, and he will figure out what its for."

The girl stayed in silence. Then she brought up something else, "San...?"

"Yes?"

"Could you do me a favour?"

"Depends on what it is."

"I was wondering if you could take this to Yusuke for me."

San stopped, looking at the girl. She was holding a small box, with a perfect bow wrapped at the top of it. She handed it to the wolf, her face down, as if she were embarrassed. San took the gift, holding it with gentle hands. She dared not ask what was inside, getting the feeling that the youth felt very strongly about this. After all, it took her all day to say something about it. The wolf smiled, however, "Of course."

"Thank you. I'm happy that we got to be friends, I used to be very afraid of you."

"It's only natural to fear the unknown."

"Yes. You're very smart."

"Wise, Keiko. I've lived many years, and learned much on my journey."

"Either way, I'm still happy to have a friend like you."

...

Human Christmas celebrating wasn't as ridiculous as San might have thought. She stayed close to her mate, but met many of the family, the ones that were involved with him. She received a few gifts, from the immediate family, and that was surely unexpected. She still had yet to give her mate his gift. He didn't speak of it, however, at least, not until they were in his bedroom, alone. He hugged her, and she felt her body temperature rise from his first contact that whole day.

"I'm happy you came," he spoke softly to her.

"Me too," she replied, really meaning it. He pulled back from their hug, and pulled something out of his really neat drawer. San approved of that.

"This is for you, koi," he said, handing her a small box, not unlike the one Keiko had given her a few days ago. San took it, wondering what it could be. She opened her gift and gasped. Inside was a necklace, with a pendant on it. Carved onto the pendant was a fox, and it looked very alive. How random was that? "It's said to have some power to it, I could feel it when I picked it up. I knew it would suit you."

"Kurama, it's beautiful..." and then she began to laugh, even as he helped her fasten it around her neck.

"What is it?" he looked confused.

"It's nothing bad... just..." she could barely keep it in. Instead, she just handed him his gift, unwrapped, however. She saw him look at it, and the he too began to laugh. He wore his, the giggles subsiding. They faced each other, their eyes on the gifts they had given. Kurama held her pendant in his hand. Instinctively, she reached for his. They felt something then, something that made their eyes widen. It was like a force, like something right had just happened. San could feel herself become stronger, but not in a physical way. She looked at the wolf on his pendant, and it looked to be howling at the moon. She gasped, letting it go, but when she looked again, it was back to its original way. She looked at her mate, who was still staring at her pendant. What was that all about?


	58. Closure

Hello to all! Sorry about the late update, was working on a new project I like to call The Key, please check it out and let me know if I should continue it. I'm getting some great hits, but only one reviewer so far. Anyways, I'm not going to discontinue this, I'm going to try and work on both if the other is a success. Thanks so much for all the support you guys give me! :)

_..._

San's return to the Makai came sooner than she expected. With Kurama at her side, she approached the placement of this first and huge tournament. The turnout was pretty much what she expected. Every apparition wanted power in some way, but she knew that most of them were going to die. At least there was a good population control with this. Had to do it somehow she supposed. She kept her eyes open, however, looking for two demons on her kill list. There would be no way to smell them, too many stenches in the air, and a lot of them were bad. Her first idea was to find Yusuke. She knew that her mate would be headed towards him, and she was perfectly fine with that. She missed her little human brother, and was hoping to get a good scrap in with him before running the chance of being eliminated.

This tournament was a huge step towards an interesting direction in her place of birth. Things were going to change quite drastically over the next few years. At least, that's what the seer told her. San still had no visions, just nightmare's. Of course, she was so tired lately that there was no time for dreaming, but something about that small child kept nagging at her. She was sure that it wasn't hers, there was no way Yomi would be able to do that without her knowing about it. The resemblance would make people think otherwise, sure, but there had to be more to it than that. She would find out, especially if there was a curse placed upon her.

Kurama's identity crisis was still going on within his head. San noticed that he stayed in human form, and she missed her mate's natural state. They weren't communicating, they couldn't. There was a wall between them, one that San couldn't penetrate. She wondered if this was part of that curse mentioned. She didn't understand why it would affect him, nor how this was all supposed to play out. If only there was a way to get straight answers out of that stupid seer. Or, if there was a way to just figure out how to get her own powers to work properly. But now wasn't the time. She finally caught a human smelling scent, the only one that wasn't herself or her mate. She smiled, making her way towards it.

Yusuke didn't look any different. There he was, standing in the middle of most of the demons in all of Makai, and nothing had changed. Of course, his power had increased drastically since she had last seen him, but that was to be expected. She was sure that she had improved as well. Genkai didn't feel she needed more power, just more control of her emotions. She wasn't sure on her progress, but she was hoping that she had mastered it. The goal was to have complete control over it, and not let it get in the way, much like her mate. She had also begun to work on her psychic powers. Sure, she didn't have visions, but she was working on her mind control. She wasn't a big fan of being able to control other's minds, but after her incident, she decided that it _would _be a useful skill. She definitely didn't want to go through that particular hell again.

San approached her friend with her mate, but steeled her emotions. There was Yomi, and that child she had seen before in her dreams. Kurama gasped at the site, looking between the child and San. Of course the child did not resemble her human form, but her demon state was not unknown in this world, especially to him.

"Now father remember, in this tournament, you are not to think of me as your son," said the boy.

"Yes," replied Yomi. The two of them did not stop their approach.

"You have to promise if we fight, you won't go easy on me."

"Yes, I promise you."

"What is this, Yomi?" Kurama asked between grated teeth. San's eyes could not be removed from the boy.

"Oh, hello there Kurama, Moriko, or rather, San," Yomi greeted politely.

What have you done?"

"Allow me to introduce my son, Shura. Created by mostly my DNA, but I'm sure you've noticed a likeness to the Queen at your side."

"This _human _is my mother?" Shura spat.

"Now, Shura, this human is one Makai's most powerful demons. But no, she is not your mother," He then turned to the demon in question, "I'm sure you would think so with the samples I took from you. I used those to measure your true power, to get a grip on the seers powers you possess, and to give my own son the same gift. It wasn't easy, but I pulled it off, the resemblance is simply just a side effect from the infused power."

"Why?" asked San.

"You're a magnificent creature, and I don't just mean your looks. Your power is quite well known after you're last major defeat. I wanted my son to have that same power and more."

Kurama growled, but said nothing. San was unsure of what to think after hearing all of this. The child was running away at that point, but he stopped and pointed towards his father.

"If you don't give me all you've got, I don't ever want to see you again!" and then he was gone.

"He's quite a handful that one," said Yusuke.

"Tell me about it. They grow up so fast, it seems like only yesterday he emerged from his amniotic incubation tank. Do you know what woke him? That blast from your terrain. Do you remember? I too was awakened by it, from a long slumber of self assurance. It's true, I have plans for when I gain power. The worlds will transform, but now I don't want it unless I win here," he turned then, "May the best destiny win, Mr. Urameshi," he spoke from his retreating back.

Yusuke had a smile on his face, but San was still in shock. It wasn't her young, that made her feel a lot better. Yusuke turned to them then, while Hiei also made his appearance. He greeted all three of them.

"You know Kurama, this would be the first time we've got to fight. San, well, I guess we could finally see who the better student is, and Hiei, I'd have to make it three for three."

"Hn. The last was a draw, but now you should hope we're not in the same group. It would be humiliating if the man who planned this tournament were eliminated so early," said Hiei.

"Not as humiliating as standing on a phone book while you fight!" Yusuke retorted. San laughed.

"You're starting to make me miss Kuwabara!"

"Perhaps you'd both be better served to save some of this hostility for the tournament," said Kurama.

"I'll-" but Yusuke was cut off by the bell.

"Now's the moment you've all been waiting for!" the announcer spoke into the microphone, "The lottery for the preliminary match ups for the Demon World Tournament!"

The rest of the time spent in line was quite uneventful. Koto was at the announcers table with Yomi's former adviser. San was not in the same group as her mate, nor anyone else she knew. The only bit of interest she showed was when Yomi and his son, Shura were in the same group for the preliminaries. Now that was something. It was time, however, to start the fighting. San kissed her mate, before going to where she needed to be. He grabbed her wrist first.

"Be careful, San. I'd be terribly disappointed if you were gone so early," he spoke.

"Oh Kurama, don't be silly," she smiled, taking her leave of him. She knew his eyes were still on her as she walked. Her relief was knowing that she wasn't in a group with any of her friends, which meant she could kill these demons pretty easily. Besides, there was something she had been dying to try for years.

San landed on her plateau, and the demons on it didn't look very tough. She could tell there were a couple who were stronger than they appeared to be. Her power, however, was ignored, as she was a master at masking it. The demons began to fight with each other, but she didn't pay attention to it, just focused on her energy. It didn't take long, it never did. She unleashed it with a blinding white light. One it had receded, only she remained. She was declared the winner, and returned to her post on the mainland.

She stood, waiting for her mate. Maybe another 10 minutes, and he was declared the winner, along with Hiei. Good, the both of them were okay. San watched Chu's battle, which was one of the only ones left. His last opponent was very skilled. San laughed, watching as Chu tried to get a date, surrendering in the process. Yusuke exerted very little of his power. A few rapid punches and that was the end of it. It was ridiculous how many weaker demons truly believed that they stood a chance. San smiled though, feeling her mate's presence.

"Impressive," she complimented him, "But you're late."

"We all can't have your speed, San," he replied.

"Too true."

All the preliminary fights had ended-aside from Yomi and Shura. San's only interest in this was to see how much of her abilities this little demon really had. What was the extent of Yomi's engineering? But San saw the problem right form the beginning. Shura was too over anxious, he didn't have patience with his opponents. His mind wasn't agile, it was barely developed. Yomi had this in the bag, he was just toying with him. If he really wanted to teach the boy a lesson, he would just end it already. Besides, Shura made way to much noise, and wasn't keeping in mind that his father had better hearing than anyone in the whole Makai.

"Shura shows much promise," said Kurama.

"Yeah. He still has a long way to go though," said San.

"He doesn't fight anything like you. I cannot be sure of his abilities. If they did truly succeed in him, then he is not using them to their full potential."

"Agreed."

Shura pulled a very dirty move. It seemed that he was going to be defeated, but once Yomi was close enough, Shura fired a shot point blank.

"Stupid boy. He should know his opponent better," observed San.

"His ego makes him blind to the real focus," agreed Kurama.

"Yomi's powers have increased to heights he used to dream of."

"Yes. We should have expected that, he was competing with Raizen and Mukuro."

"What an amazing thing."

"I can't find fault in that statement this time."

"Shura is much like his father as we knew him."

"Yes, and it appears that Yomi is trying to teach his son not to be so rash."

"He's failing."

"For now. It took Yomi a good defeat in order to understand his faults. Perhaps the same feelings will teach the boy as well."

"If he's anything like me, he's too stubborn."

"Let's hope that aspect has been removed from him."

Shura cracked the ground the two were standing on, finally showing some brains. San was pleased with that. She would have been very disappointed in Yomi for not showing the boy a few pointers. It was no use though, Yomi was just too good. She had a hard time thinking of a strategy if she were to fight the demon herself, she didn't really expect Shura to do that well. The match finally ended, however, Yomi the victor, as expected. It was finally time to move on, or so she thought. Yusuke had taken the floor, being announced by Koto.

"Hey. First, congratulations for all of those who made it to the main tournament. Now I know all you think that you're pretty bad demons, but I want you to consider one thing: you don't have fight to the death here. To be honest, I'd rather no one die in battle at all. If, for no other reason, I get the feeling that all of you would like to fight more than once, and I feel the exact same way. If you're dead, then you can't fight. I'd hate for this to be the one day I see some of you in the ring, I'd rather all of you come back and fight another day. Because, to be honest, I don't have the greatest confidence I'll walk away the winner here. I think in a couple of years I'll be a better fighter and better suited for this tournament. Of course that's hoping that whoever wins here today isn't calling this the final tournament. The point of this proposition is that we all meet here every three or four years to battle it out again, and decide who replaces the old ruler. Like a presidential election with fists. I'm not predicting the future or anything, but I think that whoever wins here today can find this agreement to be a fair one. And with that little bit being said, let's get started!" Yusuke finished his little speech. Good for him, it definitely got the others motivated. Motivated to kill him that is.

Either way, the opponents were all chosen, and it was time to start getting ready for the next battle. San had no idea who her next opponent would be, but she did notice something very interesting, the one she would be facing afterwards. She smiled, it would be a fight to remember, that was for sure. She kissed her mate, yet again, and proceeded to her next match.

"Don't lose, San," he spoke.

"I should be saying that to you," she smirked, turning her back and heading to where she needed to be. The name read Megumi, but once San was on her plateau, she smelled someone else. Someone she had been yearning to sink her jaws into. On that note, she changed into her wolf form, knowing that this would be the best way to deal with such filth. Natsuko appeared in her wolf form as well, and the two growled at each other.

Kurama watched from the screen. He couldn't actually believe that these two were facing off so early, or that the bitch had actually made it passed the preliminaries. He was still very upset with what had happened before the tournament, right after he had gotten San back. The first lunge came from Natsuko, who tried to get a good grip on San's throat with her muzzle. Stupid. San would be able to see all the moves this wolf made, no matter how quick or sneaky she thought she was.

San was just toying with her. She could easily beat her enemy, the reason she was banished from her home in the first place, but she knew better. After a few more lunges and chases, San decided that this was going nowhere. There were no powers involved in this form, and therefore, they were actually evenly matched. She changed into her demon form, just as her opponent resumed her natural form.

"And so we see you finally, Moriko," said the bitch, her eyes narrowed in distaste.

"Do not move so fast, Natsuko. You'll only tire yourself and make a mistake," replied the wolf.

"You were always a bit too smug. Let's see if I can't rip that smirk off your pretty face!" Natsuko summoned the jynosgi, trying to use it to her advantage. Moriko knew better, simply blocking it with a shield, disintegrating the plant. Pitiful. Natsuko tried again, this time using ptinese, but those were easily killed as well. "Fight me!" she screamed, creating a blade from many flowers and a few blades of grass. She charged at her enemy, but Moriko simply pushed her back with just the force of her energy. "Why won't you attack?"

"Because it's useless," said Moriko.

"How dare you?"

"You took away my whole life, bitch."

"You were in the way of my power!"

"There is more to life than power, Natsuko. What about my brother?"

"You killed him."

"No, I didn't, and we both know that."

"But you did. You knew that the pack leader was going to chose him instead of you."

"You're mind games aren't going to work. You are not even close to being the same league as me."

"You were always so cocky, Moriko. You think you even made a difference as a ruler?"

"I know I did."

"You didn't. More subjects hated you, they wanted you to fall."

"Those subjects were just members of your gang, idiots that believed your lies."

"Those idiots were all members of the high council, they ruled you out."

"It is of no matter, bitch. I have reached my true destiny, while you drift through life without a purpose."

"What? Mating with the Legendary Bandit? If that was your true destiny, I'd rather drift then go beneath myself with such swine."

Moriko narrowed her eyes, "You'd best watch your tongue bitch, lest you find yourself without it soon enough."

"Big words coming from a traitor."

"No, Natsuko, the only traitor here is you. You betrayed the code of the wolf clan, and yourself."

"Oh, how ever will I survive?"

"You won't, that's the point I'm trying to make."

"You wouldn't kill me, Moriko, I mean too much to your precious brother."

"You ripped my throne from me, insulted me, attacked my mate, and the proceeded to insult him. You don't stand a chance at living."

"I will go down in history for killing you. I'll make sure that Akatsuki tells you personally how I ultimately murdered him!"

"You...? You killed him?"

Natsuko laughed, "Of course I did you stupid bitch! I framed it on you!"

"But... I thought..."

"You thought it was the stupid demon from the tournament? No. That was simply a lie to get you off my trail. He was a fool, and I'm happy that you got rid of him. Saves me the trouble of doing it myself."

"Any last words, Natsuko?"

"I should be asking you those same things."

Moriko started to charge her dark powers, letting them grow. She began to rise slowly off the ground, her power slowly growing stronger, "Pitiful creature! You should know better than to defy the likes of Moriko Chie!" she shouted. It all happened so fast. In the blink of an eye, a wolf demon named Natsuko stood. After that, she was gone, no trace of her whatsoever. Moriko lowered herself to the ground, and got ready to leave the plateau.

Kurama waited for her, his face expressionless. That demon had attacked him, there was no sympathy for it. San stood beside him, but the two of them didn't talk. She had received her rightful revenge, had gotten the closure she desired all these years, nothing really needed to be said at this time. San's tawny eyes remained hard, as she slowly came to accept all that had happened in her lifetime. Kurama's only hope, was that she truly didn't regret the eternity she had committed to, now that she would be free to return to her realm.

...

sorry for such a delay, thanks guys!


	59. Kurama vs San

San stood, watching her mate battle with such a lower class demon. She wondered why he was toying with him so much, but it wasn't this match she was worried about. It was the next match she was curious about. She watched as her mate finally disposed of the fool he was fighting. It was about time. She smiled, knowing her next fight would be soon. Kurama would be facing his next opponent right away, seeing as he wasn't even tired. She took a breath, and then proceeded to her next match. Along her way, she noticed Hiei, blocking her path.

"What will you do?" he asked.

She smirked, "You'll just have to watch, won't you?" she told him, and then began to walk away.

"San."

She stopped, but kept her back towards him.

"Make the right choice, I'd hate to have to kill either of you."

San decided not to respond to that, but continued to walk. It didn't take her long to get to her plateau, seeing as the travel service was more efficient than she expected. It was the Makai after all. She jumped down to her plateau, landing on her feet, right in front of her opponent. He seemed shocked, which meant he didn't pay all the much attention to who we would be fighting next if he had won. San smiled, that gave her a bit of an advantage. Her mind had been working out how to deal with this since she had gained the knowledge. Now it would be put to the test, and she was sure that all of Makai wondered how this fight would turn out as well. Former Queen of the wolf clan, and the Legendary Bandit finally facing off.

Kurama's eyes were a little wild when he saw that San would be his next opponent. With all the demons entered, he didn't expect them to fight until much later. It was still too early for this to happen. San was an opponent that he couldn't figure out. She had training with three different styles, and one of them was himself. Genkai was very experienced and one of the most powerful psychics in the world. San and Yusuke didn't fight like each other. But then, what had she learned from her former life? How could he contest against that? Once he figured out a pattern, she could easily change it. Then, there were her powers of dark. He had no idea what she was capable of, and no idea how to figure out such an opponent.

San wasn't exactly all that calm headed either. She knew her mate well, trained with him. She also knew that he would have a hard time reading her, and she would make sure of that. But how would it end? She wanted to win, if only to keep idiots out of a position of power. She knew her mate could be deadly if he wanted to. She had to figure out how he would fight, and then make sure she could counter if he tried to use more of his force. He didn't know how her dark powers worked, and therefore, she had the edge.

"I wasn't expecting this," he said. He was stalling, trying to figure out what she would do.

San knew all of his tricks, "You should pay more attention."

"Perhaps. You could have told me."

"And spoil all my fun?"

"What happens now?"

San smirked, "What do you think? We fight," and she disappeared after those words. Kurama smiled, pulling out his rose whip and blocking her first attack, the blue vine. She was good, he didn't even feel her energy being released. A smile still playing on his face, he began to run. Not that he actually thought he could get away, he knew she was faster than him, but this way, she would have to think on the spot. Not that she couldn't do that on her own, but it would take her some time in order to figure him out, and he wasn't going to let that happen. He jumped out of sight at that point.

San knew where he was, her nose was quite capable of finding him without having to look. The only place he could hide was in a tree, and she was in a tree not too far from him. His hair made him stand out, and he was just waiting there, planning. She had to do something. If she gave him too much time to think, then it could be over a lot faster than she would have hoped. Slowly, she focused her energy on the tree he was in, so that hopefully he wouldn't notice it. So far so good, but she was sure that he would get the idea very quickly.

Kurama had no idea where San was. There was no way to track her. He was sure that she knew exactly where he was at the moment, and he had to act fast or else she'd attack. But he looked down and noticed the tree was rustling. Too late, she was already there. He used his rose whip to cut the tree and then jumped to a different one. He didn't stay still, however. Finally catching a scent, he jumped to where he figure she would be, but then changed directions. Her speed was greater, so he had to think three steps ahead of her. Unfortunately, he taught her that as well. It worked out well though, he spotted her and then mounted his attack. She dodged, just as he expected, and then finally made first contact with her, kicking her ribs and pushing her back a few feet. The two of them landed on the ground, but they weren't angry, they were smiling.

The two of them laughed, but kept their guards up.

"It's been a while since we were able to fight so competitively," said Kurama.

"I know. It's almost like when you first broke into my den," agreed San, a smile still on her face.

"I remember it well. You were very inexperienced then."

"As were you."

"This is shaping up to be quite entertaining."

"Agreed."

...

"Can't believe Kurama and his sheila are facing off," said Chu, watching the screen of the two of them fighting. It seemed as if all the attention was focused on those two, that all other matches were suspended until they were done.

"It was inevitable, provided they made it far enough in the tournament," said Touya.

"With the two of them like this, methinks the power blowout from both of them will shake the whole Makai," said Jin.

"It'll shake something, that's for sure," said Suzuka.

"Do you think they can handle having to defeat each other?" asked Rinku.

"Who cares? One less powerful demon to face off with," said Shishiwakamaru.

"Why does everyone care about who wins?" asked Yusuke.

"Fool. Don't you know by now who they are?" said Hiei.

"Kurama and San?"

"Beyond that."

"Well, San was some ruler of some kind and Kurama was a very popular thief."

"The two of them are legends," said Mukuro unexpectedly.

"Yes, very well known to our world," Yomi put in as well.

"So?" said Yusuke, still not following.

"Their union has been the most permanent thing in the Makai. None of us expected that the bandit would actually fall in love, especially to someone so hated among the lands of the wolf clan."

"The wolf clan has forever been a burden to those who own their territory. They never cared for the outside rules of their clan, and constantly were at war with other demons. They are wolves, and wanted to be left aside. But they are too stupid to realize that they are apart of our world, and therefore must comply with the rules of which ever territory they fall under," said Mukuro.

"While Moriko ruled, the clan wars were kept to a minimum. Her contact through Raizen kept the other demons out of her realm and allowed them to live the way they wanted. That all shattered when she was thrown out of power."

"Natsuko, the recently dead Queen wanted more power. She dared challenge me in my realm, but was easily defeated. I did not kill her, I knew that Moriko would love the chance to get her revenge."

"She was a fool. She had no knowledge of how to fight, other demons just took pity on her and let her live. Besides, once the true knowledge of Akatsuki Chie got out, Moriko would ruthlessly kill all of those who didn't give her the chance," said Hiei.

"You knew her?" asked Yusuke.

"She came across my path at one point, but she wasn't worth a single thought. I was passing through their forest a couple of months after Moriko was thrown out. I couldn't believe how careless they had gotten."

"It was common demon knowledge that Natsuko had set up Moriko, but none of us concerned ourselves with the petty affairs of the wolf clan. Moriko wasn't even close to the power she has now, and wasn't a threat," said Yomi.

"She did have a good bite, however," said Mukuro.

"Yes. I remember long hours she would spend with Youko, working on her temper with the rest of the pack."

"Hn. Couldn't have been much of a liability compared to you," said Hiei.

"No, she was very stealthy, and had a mind much like her mate's. None of us even knew that her military training is where Youko had learned it all, though we should have suspected it. We were very fortunate once she had joined the pack."

"I thought you hated her?" asked Yusuke.

"At first I did. I felt that Youko was losing focus on the true matters at hand. But that was a long time ago, and long forgotten. I greatly respect the former Queen, and wish her luck fighting with her mate."

"You'd rather she win this?" asked Mukuro.

"Yes, she will actually pose as a challenge. Youko still fights the same, it's easy to tell by the way he fights her. Moriko has powers of darkness like none have seen, and she can combine them with her powers of light. It will make for a very interesting fight."

"You make a valid point. Let's hope she defeats you so that I may fight her."

"You guys are nuts," said Yusuke.

Chu put an arm around him, "It's all the fun of the tournament mate!"

...

San was hopping from tree to tree in an attempt to figure out what she could do next against her mate. He was proving to be quite predictable, and she wondered when he would smarten up. It wasn't like she was asking for much, just a good match to see which one of them was actually stronger than the other. But he wasn't even trying, and that concerned her. How was she supposed to have fun if he was going to insist on acting this way? He was finally far behind her enough that she could stop for a moment and think of what to do next. She held the pendant around her neck, the one she had received for Christmas from him. He would catch up quickly, and she knew what to do at that point. She jumped down from the tree and ran towards the open field. It would be the best way for the two of them to fight, and it kept them from the safety of the trees. She stood there, waiting for Kurama to make an appearance.

She didn't have to wait long. She let his rose whip wrap around her arm and then used it to pull him to the ground. She broke it at that point, and then the two of them were firing rapid attacks, all of them missing. Close range wasn't his strongest suit, but he held up his end quite well. San finally landed a kick to his head, sending him tumbling back a few feet. She didn't let it go at that, however, she went in for more. She was a fraction of second too late, as he was back on the defensive. He punched her abdomen so that this time, she was sent back. She landed on her feet, but fell to the ground, hidden by the tall grass. Kurama walked slowly in her direction, knowing she could be anywhere at that point. His eyes and ears were everywhere, as his guard was up. Smirking, he grabbed her arm as it was coming towards him, and threw her away. She didn't go too far, and landed on her feet this time.

"When are you going to stop playing?" he asked her.

"I've been meaning to ask you that myself," she replied.

"I had thought this was going to be a good fight."

"It would be if you stopped analyzing everything. You know me, Kurama, you know what I can do, you've seen it. There is nothing more to think about."

"Perhaps... How can I be sure you'll stop when I do?"

"You can't, but it won't hurt you too much to try."

"You're too unpredictable, koi. You have more knowledge of different skills than myself, I can't analyze you and figure you out."

"Then why bother trying?"

"I had thought you were fond of games."

"Oh I am, but I'm starting to get bored of this one. You kind of dragged it out dear."

Kurama chuckled, "My apologies. Shall we begin anew?"

She pretended to think about it, Kurama finding her quite cute at that point, "Alright, but it's my move."

"Proceed when ready."

...

"Well, at least the two of them are okay with fighting each other," said Yusuke.

"How do you figure?" asked Touya.

"They're sitting there and laughing."

"They are playing. Kurama is giving her a game to distract her from the task at hand. The problem is, she knows, and won't be distracted to easily," said Hiei.

"Do they always do that when they fight?"

"Most likely," said Suzuka, "Wolves enjoy a good game, and since they are mated, Kurama won't disappoint her too badly when he defeats her."

"You think he'll win then?" asked Chu.

"Without a doubt. Moriko is a very skilled fighter, but in the end, she'll submit to the pack leader, like all wolves."

"But she's free from all that bullshit now," said Yusuke.

"It doesn't matter," said Hiei, "the ways of the wolf are too far ingrained into her blood. She will forever follow the customs that she holds so dear."

"That's seems kinda dumb. How long has it even been since she was apart of the clan?"

"Nearly 3000 years."

"What? And she still can't let go?"

"The ways of the wolf is something she won't let go of. It was the way she was raised, and probably all she has left her life before she was banished."

"But that other bitch didn't seem to care..."

"She was no one of importance."

"I guess, but you demons are pretty fucked up over here."

...

Kurama battled his mate further. She was still playing, and he knew that she would until he showed more intent to kill. But how could he? She was his mate, he couldn't harm her the way he would a normal opponent. One of them had to lose, but Kurama wasn't sure if he wanted to be out of the tournament yet. That was why he just toyed with her. He had to figure that out first before he knew how to handle her. But he knew from the beginning that she didn't want the seat of power, so why bother to fight him? What was the point?

San was getting tired of their game. It was just like training, which they had done plenty of before the tournament. She knew that if she wanted them to fight for real, she had to push him. Which meant that she would have to actually hurt him. So be it. They weren't getting anywhere with this, and she was sick of waiting. Crazy how a trait like patience was completely void in a wolf like herself. She created a dark ball of power just as she was about to reach him, and struck him with it. It wasn't all that strong, but hopefully it was enough to get the message across. When the smoke finally cleared, San could see her mate standing there, completely unharmed.

"It's about time," he said.

"Again, you dragged it on too long."

"I suppose so. Perhaps I should have decided sooner to take you more seriously."

"Yes."

Kurama smirked, attacking her with his rose whip. This time, San could tell he was actually trying to fight her. She used her own force as a shield, and then summoned her mori kouba. It was mostly plant, but the blades were deadly. Her mate smiled again, having not seen this technique in quite some time. She charged at him, spinning around as she fended off his whip. He dodged her, however, continuing his attacks. She was easily able to block them, still coming at him with her mori kouba. She knew that he couldn't avoid her forever, but she had to think of the way he would think she was thinking, and then counter all that thinking with all kinds of contradictions. Yes, it was that confusing.

The two of them, however, were just so evenly matched it was hard to lay consistent hits on one another. Sure, there was one here or there, but they just knew each other way too well. They knew how the other would react, or how they would change when one of them was hit. Yet, they continued to fight. Finally, San charged up a dark power ball, and this one was much bigger. She started it while the two of them were together, but when she went to jump out of the way, he grabbed her, keeping her close. The ball exploded, and San knew to brace herself. It was very powerful, and she definitely felt pain from that one. The two of them were blown to the ground, but Kurama kept a hold on her, making sure she was safe before letting her go and jumping back a bit.

They were both breathing heavily, blood now in the air. San rose to her feet, matching her mate. She didn't know how hurt he was, she could only feel her pain. Her lance was gone, as was his whip. They stared at one another, trying to figure out what to do next. His power was low from the defense, and hers was from those two blasts. But she could still run, and he wouldn't be able to keep up. She was sure she could run in a circle and meet up with him before he was halfway around. But that was silly, and she wasn't into playing anymore games.

"What would you say about an increase in power?" she asked him, her eyebrow raising.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

"Fight each other as Makai truly intended, as the whole world wants us to be."

"I see. Make it more entertaining for not just ourselves, but our audience."

"Exactly."

He smiled, "I was thinking along the same lines as you."

"Well, I guess great minds do think alike."

The two of them laughed, and then, a light began to emanate from the two of them. When it finally disappeared, there stood the two legends themselves. The audience was getting excited now, as the Legendary Bandit prepared to fight his former Queen of the wolf clan.


	60. Youko vs Moriko

It was time for something the whole Makai had been waiting to see for years. All of the spectators were quiet, waiting for the match to truly begin. But who would win? That was the real question in it all. The Legendary Bandit, and the former Queen of the Wolf Clan, finally facing off in a battle. They were perfect together, spent more than eternity with each other, and evenly matched. Not a single demon dared stand in their path when they were together, and yet, here they were, an obstacle to the goal. This match caught the attention of any and all who dared look upon it, and they all waited in anticipation.

Moriko stood, looking into the golden eyes of her mate, Youko. He was calm, even smirking at the fate delivered to him. How perfect it was that they face off in this kind of contest. Moriko had a smile on her face, as she waited for his next move. They had changed to their natural forms, their power much stronger this way. Besides, if they were going to be watched like this, why not in the way that demons feared them, as themselves.

"You look tired, koishii," said Youko.

"Not even close," she replied.

"Perhaps I'd be able to change that."

"I do not think so, Youko. You have rarely won a fight to me."

"I have not tried."

"Foolish kitsune. Do you really think you can deceive me?"

"No, beloved, but I can win given the proper motivation."

"We shall see," she smiled, and then disappeared. Youko smirked, summoning his rose whip and deflecting her attack. But it didn't stop there, her mori kouba came whizzing around and made contact with his legs. He didn't fall. Once his feet touched the ground he jumped back, but she wasn't so easily fooled. Utilizing her speed, she appeared behind him, knowing that was what he would expect. The problem was, he knew that she expected that, so she left a dark ball of energy there, and then appeared in front, hitting him again with her lance. He didn't have time to move out of the way, seeing as she made the ball grow to make escaping quite hard. He braced himself, and then he hit her attack.

He didn't take too much time on the ground, he knew she would be there. He blocked another one of her attacks, reeled her in, kissed her, and then sent her on her marry way with a single punch. She landed on her feet, and then began to run again. She wasn't running away, oh no, she was running towards him. Rose whip in hand he spun it in a way that created a barrier around him. With great precision, she was able to get inside, but he kicked at her. She blocked, issuing her own attack, which also did not make contact. He went for another punch but she head butted him before he had a chance to make a fist. He was sent into the air, directly above her. She smiled, joining him for another quick kiss, and then sent him spiraling towards the ground.

...

"Ha! You show 'im how it's done sheila!" Chu yelled at the screen after watching Moriko knock down her mate. He belched loudly after that, taking another drink from his bottle.

"You know she can't hear you," said Shishi, feigning disinterest in the battle.

"Ah give 'im a break, this is all so exciting," said Rinku.

"Wouldn't smooching each other just complicate things?" asked Yusuke.

"Correct. It's how they try to throw the other one off balance," answered Mukuro.

"It's failing, all their doing is making it look like a joke," said Hiei.

"It won't last long. They know that they need to be more serious," said Yomi.

"Was it always like this?" asked Yusuke.

"Yes. They would play like that for hours, though they were much weaker than before. I used to watch with loathing, it was absolutely disgusting at the time."

"What changed?"

"My outlook. They really are beautiful."

"How can you call that beautiful? They're fighting!"

"Open your eyes and see them for what they are. They are not just the two demons trapped in human form, they are as they belong," said Mukuro.

"You demons are pretty fucked up..."

...

The two of them were locked in a stalemate. Youko's rose whip deflected every attack from her mori kouba. Neither of them could get an attack in, not without risk to themselves. It wasn't easy. They were to synchronized with each other from their endless bond, that attack was nearly impossible. How could two people so completely perfect together manage fighting? Competing in a contest that would require one of them to lose? It just wasn't possible, and neither of them were sure they could do such a thing. Not because they were afraid to hurt the other, but because they knew that what they shared made them equals to each other, mirrors in every way. Her weapon broke his, as he tore hers away. Always even, always the same.

They jumped away from each other, breathing slightly harder than before. Truth be told, they wouldn't let on how tired they actually were, not if they could help it. Showing any signs of weakness would give the other the advantage. Once that was taken into account, there was no telling how the battle could go, but it would forever be a stalemate until that happened. Moriko searched her lover's eyes. His golden eyes that relayed the same emotions she was sure were apparent on her face. She smiled, showing her love for him. She truly loved this fox, no matter what they were put through, she knew she would always love him.

Her tawny eyes showed the love she kept inside for him, he could see it. The smile on her face was beautiful. She really was an exquisite creature, there was none other like her. Her loving look had that affect that drove him crazy. He would bend to her will so long as she asked, without a thought in his brain. He walked over to her, and kissed her. It was passionate, right up until the moment that he was thrown back by the force of her dark power.

She couldn't see him, the hole he was in too big. Her explosion would have killed an ordinary demon, but she knew that he would survive. A dirty trick, she knew, but he would expect nothing less from her. She waited until he got up out of the hole, but how long until that happened, she didn't know. The wind blew, and she smelled his blood with it. She was getting impatient now, wondering if he was actually more hurt than she thought. She shoved her hair over her right shoulder, as it continued to blow in the wind, and the scent of blood only becoming thicker. She paled slightly, and cautiously walked up to the hole she had created. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw that he was still there, and barely conscious. It couldn't have been that strong, there was no way. Was he weaker than she thought? No.. She slid down the hole and came up right next to him, not realizing that she was feeding him her energy. His breath was hard, and she felt terrible about what she had done. Who would have thought something like that would really hurt him? She _knew _he was stronger than that. So why was this happening?

"Youko..." she spoke, afraid that he wasn't able to recover.

"Koishii..." he said out of breath, "...you let your guard down."

Moriko's tawny eyes didn't even have a chance to get wide before he unleashed his attack, sending her straight into the air. It didn't hurt, she couldn't feel it, but it was so familiar, as if it had come from her in the first place.

...

"What the hell? Why would they do that to each other?" asked Yusuke, furious.

"It was a learning experience. Both of them were too overcome with emotion," said Mukuro.

"So? It was completely uncalled for!"

"They cannot fight if they are going to give into their petty feelings for each other," said Hiei.

"But-"

"You have much to learn about us, Yusuke. Our whole lives, we grow up fighting. Some of us seem more cold than others, but what you need to understand is that the strongest prevail, while the weak are killed," said Touya.

"What is the matter with you?"

"Nothing. It is just the way we were brought up. This world is much unlike your Ningenkai, and you cannot change what thousands of years have done to us," said Yomi.

"I don't understand you're stupid ways! Can't any of you see how retarded you're all acting?"

"Ah no worries mate, just have a drink and enjoy the ride!" said Chu.

"Translation?"

"You don't have to understand, just accept them. Nothing is going to change and it never does," said Shishi.

Yusuke was having some serious doubts about this tournament. What would happen if someone really cold was deemed the winner? How would that affect the rest of the Makai? He thought it would all turn out alright, he never thought that any demon was really all that evil. But with the way they sounded, so cold and heartless, he was hoping that someone like Kurama, San or even Hiei would win.

...

Moriko was forced to the ground, where she stayed for a moment. She wasn't sure what to do. She knew there was only one way to end this, to drain all of their power. But how to engage him in such a way? She knew that they would both deceive each other. She stood before the count was up, not ready to lose. He stood before her, gazing down into her eyes. He wasn't mad, that much she knew. If anything, he was plotting, and possibly thinking the same thing she was.

There was no help for it. She attacked, just as he blocked and it all began again. This time, they used their energy for more power. They were fighting to what looked like the death. She didn't want to hurt him, but she had to do something about this tournament. One of them had to lose, it was the only way to move on. But could she win? She knew she could, she wasn't in any way weakened. But how could she be sure about his power?

He attacked her, trying with all his might to get through. She was powerful, he knew that. He couldn't use any of his sly tricks without her recognizing any of them. How could he win? Should he win? It was all too unclear. He sent her flying with a strong kick to her abdomen. Was she giving up? No, that wasn't like her. That kick should not have sent her that far. He followed up his attack, sticking only to the physical ones. It wouldn't make any sense to use any of his plants, she could control them just as easily as he could. She hit a tree and then fell to the ground. But she didn't stay down, she was up on her feet, and wiped blood from her chin that had trickled down from her mouth. Why was she bleeding so much?

She looked at him once more, thinking. She ran at him, and he moved out of her way easily, or so he thought. She was there, and gave him a taste of his own medicine. They began their physical fight once again, but it gained them nothing. She was running out of ideas, as she knew he would. They jumped away from each other, both panting heavily. She had to make a decision, one she wasn't quite sure of.

"You're tired," he accused.

"So you think," she spoke, straightening up.

"How far will you take this, beloved?"

"As far as you wish, Youko."

He smiled, "It will go until there is a winner."

"Evidently."

They began their attacks again, still putting their power into their hits. It was the only way to drain each other.

...

"How long is this going to go on?" asked Yusuke.

"Well someone has to win," said Rinku.

"It would go much faster if Moriko would just finish him," said Yomi.

"You mean if she would just submit," said Suzuka.

"I don't care, I just want to fight," said Shishi.

"Am I the only one 'avin a good time?" asked Chu.

"I wish I could have a good time watching my friends fight," said Yusuke.

"They aren't even lovers in this match, they're opponents," said Hiei,

"You have no imagination."

...

Moriko made her decision, she knew what she had to do. When they stopped the foolishness of trying to hit one another, she opted for power. She sent dark blast after another, clouding them in smoke, one of his old tricks. When it cleared, they were fighting with their best weapons, the rose whip and the mori kouba. It was enough, she had to do it, there was no other way. She couldn't let him know her choice, she didn't want to cause a problem between them.

Their fight had risen into the air, which would be perfect for her plan. Her mori kouba matched his whip, as usual. They didn't back down, however, feeling that this was finally the end. At least he could sense it as well as she could. She had to time it properly, lest he suspect what she was up to. The momentum at which they fought was the only thing that kept them in the air. Finally, she pulled him in roughly for a kiss. She used her power to keep them in place, as she kissed him with all of her love. She made sure he knew what her next move was, and it was there. She broke from the kiss and he gave her his best attack, sending her down to the ground fast.

He didn't give her time to think of a next move. He had her by her clothes and threw her away. In that moment, he was so focused, and began to glow softly with a white light. He was a demon of the light, and his powers could only develop further. Utilizing his rose whip, he managed an attack he never knew he was capable of, one that was new to him.

"Death Whip!" he cried. The white light that surrounded him formed into a beam, encircled by his rose whip. It was headed straight for her. She saw it coming, and knew that this was what would do her in. It made contact with her, creating a giant explosion that blocked the vision of them all.

...

"Kurama... won?" Yusuke was shocked. He wasn't sure who was going to win, but he had a feeling it was San.

"Hn," was Hiei's response.

"How unfortunate," said Yomi.

"I knew it though," said Suzuka.

"We all should have. It was foolish to think otherwise," said Mukuro.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Yusuke.

"She could have dodged his attack," said Touya simply.

"Yeah...?"

"She's a fool. She could have won, but she let him have it," said Hiei, sounding disgusted.

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she's wolf. Like I said, she's loyal to him and in the end, he is the pack leader, so he prevails," said Suzuka.

"Well that hardly seems fair."

"Fair does not matter. It is what she knows, and continues to honour," said Yomi.

"We can only hope that this defeat does not plague them," said Mukuro.

"So what happens now?" asked Yusuke.

"The next match will begin," said Hiei.

"I mean to them?"

"Nothing. Life goes on," answered Touya.

...

He watched, waiting for her next attack to come, but it didn't. He couldn't see anything in the smoke, but he kept his senses sharp. He stayed his ground, knowing that she could be anywhere.

But it was a while before the smoke cleared. When it did, he saw that he had taken the trees along with anything that was in the path of his death whip. He didn't, however, see her anywhere. Cautiously, he walked, following his path of destruction. He never knew he had so much power before, and was hoping he didn't hurt her too badly. He began to panic when he knew he was nearing the end of the plateau. But finally, he saw her, tawny hair flowing in the wind. She was on the ground, and he knew she was there long enough for him to be declared the winner of the match. He ran to her, picking her head up. He was relieved to see her tawny eyes look back at him, and she smiled.

"Well done, my precious kitsune," she spoke.

"Koishii..."

"Do not be so foolish. You won, and you did well."

"Thank you, beloved," he said, kissing her.

...

sorry its a little short, lately i've wanted thigns to stick to the point.. thanks for reading!


	61. The Demon World Tournament

The epic battle was over, but the tournament carried on. San watched with her mate and Yusuke while some of her friends battled it out. The crowd was focused on different matches, as opposed to only being on one. The two demons followed Yusuke to the front of the screen, meeting Jin and Touya there.

"So, how's it going?" asked Yusuke.

"Suzuka was defeated. He never had a chance in this round," said Touya.

"Cryin' shame it is, trained really hard he did," said Jin. San turned her attention back to the screen, watching as Shishiwakamaru surrendered to Hokushin. She didn't really have a thought on that, but she was out of the tournament now so it all meant nothing to her really.

"Yeah, I guess no matter who you are, there's always someone better," said Yusuke.

"Aye, but Touya here's plenty used to dispensing of his superiors, isn't that right boyo?" said Jin.

"Whatever," said Touya lightly.

"Right! Time for the wind to pick up! Listen pal, I don't plan to be losing to till me and you finish what was begun," Jin looked at Yusuke.

"Of course, you'll win this for sure," said Yusuke.

"Then I'll see you two after I win this!" and he flew off to his match after that.

"Same old Jin," said Yusuke.

"No, you focused him and increased his power," said Touya.

Jin's match started off slow, like most did. Jin flew up into the air, but he didn't stay up there for very long. His opponent surprised San though, dodging his attack and staying in the air. Well that was interesting. It turned into an aerial battle, which was something San did not expect at all. She never knew the old acquaintance of hers could fly, but then again, she never really spoke to him.

She looked at her mate, who was intently focused on the match. She liked this funny talking demon, but she was having doubts about his capabilities. It didn't surprised her to watch Jin's opponent dummy him with many punches. Jin got up, ready to take the next attack, but he wasn't even conscious. Much like the last tournament, where Kurama was gone on his feet, Jin was the same way.

"I guess your idea is working," said Touya.

"Valiant effort, Jin," said Yusuke, smiling.

Touya was next. He used his ice capabilities, freezing everything around him and his opponent. There were of course, other matches going on, but San stuck with the ones that interested her, the ones that involved the demons she called friends. Three were out, as well as herself, but there were more out there. For instance, how would Touya do? So far he seemed to be in control, unleashing his shards of winter.

"Touya's fighting well," said Kurama, coming to stand beside Yusuke.

"Yeah, it's great to see he improved. I was hoping he'd be up to the fight," said Yusuke.

"Some of these fighters have it as their only goal to beat you, did you know that, Yusuke?"

"It's nice of them to think so highly of me. I don't want to argue, but there are some stronger fighters out there."

"We all know this," San snorted at that, "The reason they all want to fight against you is because of something fundamental they see. It's your purity and valor that's the draw. Touya told me this today, before he walked into the arena. Thanks to no small part from you, he actually has a philosophy in fighting. Of course, Hiei, San and I are partially to thank as well."

"Well, I don't know about any philosophy, all that stuff is Greek to me."

Kurama chuckled, "You're nothing if not typical, Yusuke."

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't want to waste my time fighting you," said San smiling brightly at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before, you think you're better than me," said Yusuke.

"I don't have to think, I just know."

Touya's match drew their attention once more. It was hard to see at first, but finally, friend number four was out. They seemed to be making friends with whomever they fought, and San wondered if that was part of Yusuke's plan.

Yusuke snapped his fingers in defeat, "That was a close one."

"You forget, Touya seemed satisfied, that's what's important here. If you don't believe me, take a look at him," said Kurama, directing their eyes back to the screen. Why was he always right? The first round, however was over, and everyone had to return to their groups.

"See you later, Yusuke," said Kurama to his friend. He kissed her lightly, before leaving to his designated area. San stayed put, she no longer had a group now.

...

Kurama stood, staring up the plateau where he would fight his next match. He had enough rest from fighting San, and he was ready to fight again. His match with his mate confused him, and he wasn't sure what to think. He knew though, he knew that she let him win, that she could have won if she focused enough. She had the power within her, but she submitted to him. There had to be reason why she did that other than it was the right wolf thing to do. So what was it? He was sure even if he questioned her, he would never get an answer.

A familiar stench reaches him in the air.

"Yomi," Kurama announced his old friend.

"When Urameshi cam to see me, I observed that your lack of hesitation in betraying me again wasn't surprising. It was as if you were calculating something. You see, you seem to make many of your decisions based on a future that may or may not be. It is never certain," said Yomi.

"Nothing is..."

"I see. You plan for everything instead of just one thing. She taught you well."

"It's how we've survived until now."

"Your betrayals have taught me much, and today I feel better for all the pain of the past," said Yomi, walking towards the fox. He stopped when he was right next to him, "It's amazing isn't it? How people change?"

Kurama nodded. Yomi continued to walk.

"Don't hold back. Today I would like to see what you are truly capable of."

...

San stood with her friends, Yusuke, Jin, Touya, Rinku, Chu Shishi's imp form, and Suzuka. Her eyes were glued to the screen, her mate standing there ready for his match. His opponent was pretty ugly looking, but his weapon was one of interest. She had no doubt that he was going to be tough. She saw that her mate had that look in his eye, the one of study and focus.

The match began, both demons taking their weapons at the ready, and running to the side. Kurama summoned his rose whip, and the circular blade could not break it. They spoke, but sound wasn't available to them. The ring sword was thrown a burst of power that destroyed the arena. Kurama ran into the forest nearby, which was where he could battle well.

The ring sword cut through the trees, and just as Kurama was going to attack, the sword appeared back in the hands of its owner. Her mate stepped down, and then talking happened again. San wished she could hear, know what was going on. Kurama summoned up his pedals and thorns, but the ring sword was spun in circles, creating a tornado around him. The last thing seen was Shigure colliding with her kitsune. Her eyes narrowed, the smoke not clearing.

The plateau had a giant hole in it, and smoke was gathered in it. As it started to clear, Shigure was visible, and Kurama wasn't. Static started to form, energy that San recognized all too well. Youko, he was out, and that made San wonder. Her ears twitched at Yomi's voice.

"That's more like it. Show everyone your true place in this tournament," he said. San's eyes stayed on the screen, wondering what her mate would do next. What did Yomi want from this anyway? Why did his form matter so much to him?

The ring sword was thrown again, but Youko was too fast for that. It didn't matter how many times Shigure threw it, Youko could move fast enough to avoid anything that came to him.

...

_I meant to follow through with my original plans. I was going to leave Ningenkai, as soon as I regained my demonic powers, and found my mate. But, from that day... from the day I became Shuuichi Minamino... I loved her as if she were my true mother... Hiei... Yusuke... Kuwabara... Everyone... San... Especially you San... I want none of you to miss me..._

...

San watched curiously as her mate changed back into his human form, and then landed on the ground. What was he up to? Perhaps he couldn't stay in that form? The detachment too strong? She would never know, she did not wish to never see her mate again, as much as she knew that the human part of him wanted nothing to do with Makai.

She was taken from her thoughts, feeling his pain, pain in her right arm and watched as he screamed, blood flowing freely.

"Kurama," said Yusuke sternly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her mate manged to land on his feet, which was a good sign. Except for the part where he dropped to his knees. What was he doing? Why was he laughing? "Kurama... Make a move..."

He was just sitting there, and then all kinds of roots were visible, and plants began to grow from the ground. San smiled, he was always thinking ahead. He powered up, the oaken ninja root growing with a fierce passion. San wondered how much it took out of him, but he powered again, sending the roots right towards his enemy. Shigure powered up, running towards the attack, breaking through and heading straight for Kurama.

The blade stopped short of his face, as it got caught on a tree. Shigure admitted defeat there. Then, Shigure jumped to his death. San's tawny eyes widened at that point, but why was she surprised? Kurama collapsed then, and San was gone in an instant. The rain from the trees was gorgeous, but she wasn't focused on that.

Yomi was there before her, and she glared at the demon, before wresting her mate from his arms. Her powers were automatic, going to heal the one she had made a personal bond with.

"I am quite capable, San," said Yomi.

"He is not your to protect," said San, in a very Moriko like fashion. She held him close to her, as she worked her magic. His hand found its way into hers, and she squeezed it, before nodding at Yomi that he was safe to move.

They were at the bottom of the plateau, Yomi supporting him while San was on his other side. She could smell the others in the vicinity, but that wasn't important right now. Kurama finally came to.

"Yomi. San?" he spoke, Yomi letting go, but San insisting on her help. Yomi put a hand on her mate's shoulder, then walked away a little.

"Kurama. Have you forever deserted yourself as Youko?" asked Yomi.

"Probably not. I never leave anything behind... I never have," he answered, his green orbs looking into the tawny eyes of his mate at his side.

For her sake, he could never banish the demon inside, that was who he is, and that was who she loved him for. San and Moriko were the same, it wasn't like his endeavor at all. She kissed his cheek, and he felt her energy flowing through him. He would be Youko again, that much they both knew, but it would be rare, not very often.

"Why did you pick this tree?" she asked suddenly.

"It is from a good memory, the one that made me realize how much I love my human mother. At the time, it kept me going until I could find you again."

"I understand. Our separation was always hard on both of us, but we have all eternity."

"Yes, koi, an eternity that is ours alone."

...

sorry short... you know i love you guys! i'm sad to announce the inevitable ending coming up soon, in the next ten chapters or so... but i do have good news, the show will go on! i am officially announcing as of this chapter that my new story, the key is the sequel to this. it has already been put up with 10 chapters and many hints as to what happens in the end of this story. thanks for sticking around, hope you enjoyed it so far, and thanks for the lovely reviews, you guys are the inspiration! i will speak again at the ending, hope to see you then :)


	62. Returning Home

San helped her mate, her strength full and his nearly gone. The next match would be Mukuro and Hiei, and San didn't want to miss any of it. She knew that none of them did, but it wasn't as important as healing her mate. She was on the ground with him, Jin, Touya, Susuzka and Rinku surrounded them. Her energy could heal him, that was for sure.

"Kurama, let us take you to a doctor," Touya suggested.

"Yeah, Touya's right. You're not looking so pretty," said Suzuka.

"Yeah, it's no lie he says," said Jin.

"I'm fine. I have San, and all I need now are a few moments to rest," said Kurama. San noticed that determined look in his eye once more. She wondered what occupied his mind, but didn't dare ask at a time like this.

"You be needin' more than that."

"Just allow me to watch Hiei's next battle, then I will go with you."

"It won't be necessary," said San, working her magic. The match began, taking their attention off of her mate, and onto the fighting demons. They were talking, but San expected that. The two had an interesting connection, one that she thought would be useful in anything else that could come up in this crazy world. She was only slightly curious as to what they were speaking of, but Hiei made his move.

The two of them were fast, Mukuro was one of the three rulers. It was really a test of Hiei's strength at this point. This fight would show us all the true power the small fire demon had. His speed was greater than hers, so it shouldn't have surprised San that he could keep up with his enemy. Hiei had come very far since she had first met him... long ago in the Makai...

...

_She hunts in the night, the moon high and bright. She has no particular direction, just needs food for the next few days. She is far from her den, wishing to know her surroundings more thoroughly. Her prey runs from her, but she is content with the hunt. A game that she wishes will never end. A strange scent comes to her nostrils, and she becomes wary of what is out there._

_It doesn't take her long to find her stalker, he isn't even hiding. He is small, but she knows he is powerful. She approaches cautiously, wondering what he is doing in these parts. She notes the sword at his side, keeping her weapon at the ready. If he wishes to fight, she will defend herself._

_"I was wondering when you'd finally sense me," the strange demon speaks to her._

_"What do you want?" she asks, her tawny eyes narrowing in suspicion._

_"To know why the mate of Youko Kurama is so far from her pack."_

_"That does not concern you."_

_"You could get killed by the demons out here."_

_"As could you."_

_"Hn. Is that what you foresee in your visions?"_

_"It may be. But I'd be a fool to let my enemy know when he is to die."_

_"Wise move, the bandit has taught you well. Or was it your previous military training?"_

_"State your purpose, or feel my jaws."_

_"Hn. You'd be foolish to attack me Moriko."_

_"You are a fool for seeking me out in the first place. Tell me what you want, or die, it does not matter to me."_

_"I'm looking for someone."_

_"Why should I care about that? Tell me demon of fire, why is it you possess those powers when your heritage is the complete opposite?"_

_His red eyes narrow at her suspiciously, and he growls a little._

_"You are not the only one who can penetrate minds, Hiei. As for your missing demon, I cannot help you with that. Perhaps you simply do not have enough sight," she waves him off. Utilizing her speed, she runs from that spot, not knowing that she will meet him again._

...

San didn't know that Hiei would be a big part of her destiny. She cared for him, sure, about as much as he cared for her. But she knew who he was looking for, and she could not help him. Even now, in this battle, she wondered how she could help him, not that Mukuro was using the full of her strength. It was obvious by the first hit, the way Hiei's face looked at such a display of power. San watched as he crashed into a nearby mountain, and then fell to the ground. He held up his bandaged arm once he was on his feet and San wasn't sure what to think at this point.

"The darkness flame..." Kurama confirmed her suspicions. He unleashed the flame, and Mukuro met his with her own attack. It was a struggle, the two of them getting closer to each other. Finally, the power disappeared, and they were only mere inches form one another. Hiei started attacking, but what was strange, he was only using physical attacks. Hiei never did that.

San wasn't sure what to think, but she knew that Hiei was avoiding something. Mukuro wasn't even living up to her potential either. At least, that's what it looked like until she let go of an attack that San thought she wouldn't do.

"Did you see that ray of light?" asked Touya.

"She's able to divide space," said Kurama.

"What'd you say?"

"I thought it was nothing but a rumour, but it would seem the stories are actually true."

"What does it do now?" asked Jin.

"Murkuro can cut directly through the third dimension itself. Anyone who comes in contact with the cuts will be split as well."

"It's a nasty way to attack," said San. Mukuro kept cutting, and it missed Hiei. So far so good, but this wasn't over yet. She had created a barrier around them, trapping Hiei inside. Any touch he made, and he was hurt, that much was obvious by the way it just happened.

"He's trapped," said Touya.

"She's slowly creating a razor sharp spider's web," said Kurama, "If Hiei doesn't do something swiftly then he's going to be torn apart."

Well that was obvious, but then again, not many demons lived to tell about Mukuro's powers. Hiei unveiled his jagan, opening his third eye and beginning to unwrap the bandages on his arm. The darkness was powering up inside of him, him being a demon of darkness only made it proper. He unleashed his attack, the dragon heading straight for Mukuro. San held her breath.

"This will soon be over," said Kurama.

"Mukuro's a lot stronger than you give her credit for," said San.

Mukuro was holding the dragon in place, trying with all her strength to stop it form consuming her. Hiei was much stronger than before, and San actually thought that this could work. He was focused, she was determined. Summoning her demon energy, she managed to split the dragon in half, saving herself. The attack followed its way back to its opponent, looking like it hurt really bad.

Never had San seen Hiei hurt so badly before, and never again did she ever want to see it. He was the pillar of strength in their team, and watching him fall made her hopes fall. Hiei was on his feet, and after speaking, Hiei admitted defeat.

"Well done," said Kurama. San couldn't help but agree with him.

...

The next fight was about to start, Yusuke versus Yomi. San hadn't seen Yusuke's power lately, so she wasn't sure what to think of this battle. Yomi had improved drastically over the course of time. This battle was in the air, but San wanted Yusuke to win.

"The crowd likes him, that's a first," said Touya. The crows was actually divided into even odds, both sides wanting their pick to win. The match began, Yusuke powering up his demon energy. It was definitely impressive. Yomi powered up as well, and his green tinged demon energy looked like it was winning. Well, it did, and the outburst of power made all the other fights stop. Their energies were so strong, San could feel it form where she stood. It made the other two fights demonstrate just how powerful they were, not wanting to be out done. San sure was happy she was out of the tournament at this point.

"His energy's about to put Yusuke over the edge," said Kurama. The display stopped, Yusuke catching his balance.

"I don't get it. Why would Yomi want to blow the opportunity to claim such a certain victory like that," said Touya. Yomi was always complex. He took a fighting stance.

"He wants hand to hand combat..." trailed San.

"And trust me, it's an invitation that Yusuke won't be able to turn down," said Kurama. Of course not, it was his specialty, "But there's no way he'll be able to stand toe to toe with Yomi in a fight like that." San thought she could hear some worry in his voice. These were two friends, Kurama knew both of them. Yusuke accepted the challenge, making the first blow. That was not expected. Yomi went flying, not even trying to defend himself. He landed on the ground, a tremendous fall on his back. What was going on here?

Yusuke was quite confused at what was happening, and that was saying something. He was smart enough to know that he didn't reach Yomi's powers. Yomi smiled, getting to his feet and wiping blood from his mouth. The two of them talked, and then Yomi ripped his sleeves off, taking another stance. The two of them ran to each other, and then Yomi disappeared behind him. He unleashed his balls of demon energy, a very original and old technique. Yusuke just took them, and the last blow knocked off his shirt. Yusuke was sent flying away, and just lied there for a moment.

San narrowed her eyes wondering what he was up to, and why he had that dead look in his eye.

"I've never seen Urameshi with such a lifeless look in his eyes before," said Touya.

"Oh sure. Twas a biggie that hit him, but I know he's survived more than that!" said Jin.

"There's something wrong..." San trailed. Yomi picked up Yusuke buy the head, holding him up. She wished she could hear the words they spoke. Yomi punched him square in the face, and then began more rapid punches to the half breed. Yusuke wasn't fighting back, what was happening? Yomi powered up and sent Yusuke on his merry way. But the demon didn't stop there, he ran to Yusuke and began more rapid punches. He wasn't retaliating, wasn't doing anything.

Then it happened. Whatever was going on, Yusuke snapped out of it and sent Yomi to the ground. San gasped, but was relieved that he was finally fighting back. The mazuko marks came onto the outside, the demon inside released. The two ran at each other again, and then Yusuke disappeared and fired his spirit gun. But it was with demon energy, so does that make it the youki gun? Now wasn't the time for clever remarks, except-

"What an amazing thing," said San. Yomi put himself in his shield, which absorbed demon energy. Yusuke fired shot after shot, and San sighed. Nothing had changed, he should have known that he can't penetrate it with demon energy.

"I don't know what Yusuke thinks he's doing, but at this point he's just exhausting his energy supply," said Kurama. Right he was. Yusuke kept firing, not letting up. This was pretty much over. He'd fire until his energy was gone and then Yomi would win. So much for a good fight.

Why was it that every time she thought that things were going the way she had worked out, something happened to surprise her? The shield was starting to crack. What was that about? But it was quite simple to figure out. Yusuke was mixing his spirit energy and demon energy into one. Yomi's shield couldn't absorb both, so he was able to get through. Only someone like Yusuke could pull this off. He kept shooting, and it was starting to get somewhere. Finally, with complete reiki, Yusuke fired a mighty blast, and it created one hell of an explosion. San couldn't see. If only the smoke would clear.

When it finally did, both fighters were standing off with each other.

"Well played Yusuke," said Kurama. The two demons were talking then. They both started fighting again, and San smiled widely. This was what she wanted to see, what would happen between these two.

Grabbing her mate's hand, she looked into his emerald orbs, and saw that he was smiling as well. The two of them had watched those fighters evolve, and it was time to see what they were made of.

Yomi fired another green shot at Yusuke and it sent him flying away. Yomi followed however, keeping up his attack. Yusuke wasn't one to go down easy, as he lunged back at Yusuke. The two of them were very powerful, and just as Yusuke looked to have the advantage, Yomi shot his energy to powerful it broke through the plateau completely. He was hovering towards the ground, but Yusuke shot up from the dust and gave the demon his own spirit attack. They both landed on their feet, completely unharmed. Yusuke was breathing harder, which wasn't a good sign.

"Yomi's greatest power has yet to be revealed," said Kurama, his hand tightening on hers. He looked to the side of him in alarm, but then smiled. San wondered what was going on inside her brothers mind at this point. He then began to glow golden.

"Sacred energy...?" San wasn't sure. But it didn't feel the same, it was completely different. Yusuke's power was tremendous, but Yomi wasn't going to back down so easily. He powered up too. Yusuke ran at Yomi, the two of them covered their fists in their own energy and then began to battle again. They were even, which San found quite appropriate. The crowd was going wild, but at this point, San didn't know who she wanted to win. Yusuke was her brother, Yomi a valued friend. The two of them had changed so much her mind was blank. Finally, they let off a magnificent blow, one that erupted like a volcano.

"How remarkable..." San trailed, truly in awe. The others were in the same state she was, they didn't even tell her how annoying her comments were. The energy disappeared, Yusuke on the ground. The count started, and San wondered desperately if Yusuke would get up. He didn't, Yomi had won. But it was definitely something to behold. Yusuke was out. San smiled, and was pulled into a bear hug by Jin and the others, surrounding her and her mate. She was laughing, kissing Kurama passionately.

...

Moriko ran through the grassy fields of Makai. Her mate was at her side, and she ran further ahead of him. The day was fresh and new, and she had a smile plastered on her face. The two of them had suspended their human sides wanting their time together before they would return to the Ningenkai. They decided they wouldn't leave without Yusuke, and so they enjoyed their time together. They went home, to her den in the tree, which was where they had started their adventure together.

Moriko's tawny eyes were soft as she laid them upon the tree. Youko put an arm around her, and then let it fall to her hand, guiding her inside. They used his entrance, one of many that he had whenever he penetrated the den. All of her things were as they left them. They hadn't been here in a while, not since their first return to Makai, but it still held a deep meaning to her.

"Beloved... do you regret the choice you made?" asked Youko, his golden eyes seeing the look she carried inside hers.

She looked at him, seeing something she had never seen in him before. Fear, he was scared of her answer. She smiled reassuringly, and shook her head no, "Foolish kitsune," she said lightly, walking up to him and taking his hands, "I will never regret choosing you over an empty life."

"Koishii," he said huskily into her pointed wolf ear. His breath was warm, and it made it twitch. She looked at him, seeing the love he held for her and smiled. She kissed him then, fully intending on proving her love for him, and letting him know that she would never wish she had made a different choice. The fires would burn for all of eternity.

...

They had returned to where Yusuke was being cared for. Abandoning their demon forms, they walked hand in hand to Yusuke's room. Upon reaching the door, they could hear the others inside, and San smiled. He was awake.

"So where are we now in the tournament? Is it the semi finals yet?" asked Yusuke. The two demons walked into the room.

"No, Yusuke. The tournament is over," answered Kurama.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Yusuke.

"Sure is man. Come see for yourself," said San, helping her mate life Yusuke and walk him into the stadium. Koto announced Enki as the winner. San was happy with that, knowing that Enki had a good heart. Well, he would if he did have one, but it was the thought that counted.

"I thought for sure it would be Yomi," said Yusuke.

"He lost in his first match after you," said Kurama.

"Who was it?"

"An inconsequential foe he had no business losing to. But his injuries from you were too much. Your punch didn't earn a win, but it did defeat him in the end."

"And Mukuro?"

"She gave her all to beat Natsumi, then lost to him in the next round," said Kurama, referring to Enki.

"Well, here I am by strange circumstances by mystery of the match. But I've come to believe that luck is just as important as planning in this life. So I'm taking the leadership over, but I'm only making it a three year term," said Enki. The crowd was going wild, "Well, the rule was that whoever wins, all demons have to obey his or her laws and so I'll hold you to that. Now it won't be hard to remember, I'm only enforcing one great law. My law is from now on there will be no mischief in Ningenkai! We've been fighting for too long. It's something I learned from an old friend. This is how I'll honour his memory. I'll create a council, and figure out the particulars within a week." Enki finished his speech.

"Where's Yomi? I'd like to see his reaction," said Yusuke.

"He left soon after his loss," answered Kurama.

"Where to?"

"He described it as a journey of new truths with his son."

...

The stadium cleared, and the others with it. Yusuke was alright to walk on his own, and near it, stood a few demons together. Chu, Jin, Touya, Rinku, Suzuka, Shishiwakamaru, Yusuke, Kurama, and San. It was time to say good bye, but only for now. San stood with her mate, their hands never leaving each other lately. It seemed that in this tournament, San really knew what she wanted out of life, and her eternity was really only just beginning.

"Well I'm not sure when I'll be seeing you again, Yusuke, but you'll always know that I see you as a friend," said Jin.

"Gotchya," said Yusuke.

"It's not like its good byes for good, there's another tourny in three years, ace," said Chu.

"If you're not still in love, Chu," said Suzuka, "I was only training for a tournament, I didn't expect a revolution, but I do feel like myself again."

"So it's back to Ningenkai for you, Kurama?" asked Touya.

"Yes, it's time I chose a home... For now that is," said Kurama, looking over at his mate.

"Nothing is ever set in stone," said San smiling.

"Aye, you wolves like to move a lot," said Jin. San nodded, and then they all bid farewell, watching their band of demons go off on their separate ways.

"What about you, Yusuke? Coming home with us?" asked San.

Yusuke looked at his older sister and shook his head, "Not yet. I gotta take care of some things here first and then I'll be back home."

San smiled, hugging him, "I'll have your head if you're late."

"Not to worry, I'm sure that crazy nose of yours will make sure I don't get too far."

San let him go and then stood beside her mate again. He clasped hands with Yusuke, "Take care of yourself," said Kurama.

"You too, make sure to keep this one out of trouble," Yusuke said, pointing at San and smiling. The two lovers left their friend, heading off in their own direction. They stayed human, walking in the forest towards their home, a place they hadn't been in quite a while. San sure did miss the temple, and she wondered how many of her plants had died by now.

She recognized the area, and just like before, there stood Hiei leaning against the same tree as before. San smiled, wondering if Hiei remembered their first encounter.

"So Yusuke's going back after all," said Hiei.

"That's what he says. After he takes care of some things," said Kurama.

"And I guess you're both off too?" it wasn't really a question however...

"That's right, to my family."

Hiei threw his necklace at Kurama, the one made of his mother's tear. It was glowing, and San wondered what the purpose of this was.

"Hiei... I can't accept this. I value our friendship and all we've been through..." Kurama began, walking up to the small fire demon, "But I'm mated, and not interested in you that way," San burst out laughing at the seriousness of her mate's voice.

"You fool! I'm not giving my stone to you!" shouted Hiei.

"Relax, it's a joke. You want me to give this to Yukina, right?"

"That's right. I want you to tell her that her dear twin brother's been dead for years."

"Why don't you return it to her yourself, Hiei?"

"I'm staying here in Makai. I want her to call off her ridiculous search for me."

"Even if you did want that, I won't shut this door for you. You will give this to her... At your own pace."

Hiei took the stone back, "You're the same day you were the first day we met. A pain who speaks the truth."

"Nothing much has changed for you either, Hiei. You're still sitting here and asking for help with someone you know how to find," said San, winking at him. Hiei looked shocked at that, looking at his surroundings and then nodding at the wolf. The fire demon left then, leaving the two lovers on their way.


	63. Reunion

It had been two years since the Demon World Tournament. A peace seemed to surround the area, one that felt real this time. San had returned to the temple with her mate. He stayed for a couple of nights, reviving plants with her and just wanting to enjoy the peace. Then he left, to go home to his family. San stayed with Yukina and Genkai, finally recalling all the events of the tournament, and the whereabouts of Yusuke and Hiei. Kuwabara was there once in a while, having frequent visits with Yukina. She had to admit, she did miss the guy.

Keiko hadn't been around, nor Koenma or Botan. San didn't expect them to, however. The kakai barrier was down, so Reikai had a lot of troubleshooting to do. Keiko was still waiting for Yusuke, and coming here would only remind her of how much pain she endured. San knew all to well what it was like to wait for your lover to find you again. She wasn't interested in having that particular ordeal happen again.

It was a great tale, and Yukina was very happy to see the two legends at home and safe. San was happy to be home. She felt like she had barely spent any time here. She was at peace, hunting, spending time in the tree and running. Genkai's domain was vast, there was always new things to discover while living here. San smiled as the sun touched the water. She was sitting in her tree, enjoying the summer day. She had slept there last night, and didn't really plan on leaving for the day. She sighed contently, catching the scent of roses.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long," said San, moving for her mate to sit with her.

"I slept late. It is my first day of summer vacation after all," replied Kurama, sitting behind her. He leaned against the bark, putting his arms around her and pulling her close. He nuzzled the back of her head, and kissed her cheek. It had been a couple weeks since he could come up to the temple, having to deal with school. San didn't attend school, she wasn't human, so she stayed in her home and picked up where she left off, before the adventure with Yusuke had started.

"I suppose so. It seems that school never ends for you."

"It will, koi, but then I'll have to find a job. I'm sure that my step father will employ me with his company."

"Human life seems to tedious."

Kurama chuckled, "It can be. But it won't last nearly as long as our lives together."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'll be able to live on my own soon. I was hoping you could come with me, one day."

"Maybe... I mean, the temple has everything for me here..."

"I understand, San. I am not concerned about finding a home with you."

"It'd probably be better to just wait until your human life expires. I'm a demon, and that's the end of it."

"Agreed."

San nodded, kissing her mate. She loved the way he held her, so gentle and loving. Human or demon, his love for her was the same, and she smiled at that thought. She may have found him again after they had separated. But he was the one that found her in the first place. He broke into her den nearly 2000 years ago, and continued to do so. When she was abducted, he searched for her, and rescued her. He was her saviour, and she kissed him again.

"You are older today," she noted, her demon speech being out more so than her human side.

"I've stopped counting the years a long time go, koi."

"That's nice."

Kurama smiled, kissing her again, "I love you, San."

"I love you," she whispered.

...

"You wanted to see me, Genkai?" asked San.

"San. You've been lingering at the temple for the past two years. I need you to go out and get some life in you," replied the old woman.

"Could you be little more specific?"

"I need you to go find Yusuke."

"You already know that he's not ready to come home yet..."

"Even if it's just temporary, I need him here at once."

"You're hiding something."

"Yes. But I will reveal my plan when you all get here."

"What is this about?"

"I'm getting old, San."

"You're just noticing this now?"

Genkai ignored her comment, "I've made up my mind for this temple, and I want all my kids here so that they know what they need to do when I die."

"You got a long way to go, lady."

"Just go find Yusuke. Don't come back till you've dragged him back here."

"Alright, but he might not be alive if I have to drag him."

Genkai looked sharply at the wolf, but she was already gone.

...

Kurama sat at the train station with Kuwabara. He was recounting the events of the tournament, filling the youth in on all the details present.

"So that's it... You all lost huh?" said Kuwabara.

"True, our victories were not of the winning kind," said Kurama.

"Wow, so even Urameshi ate some dirt? I guess it's a damn good thing I didn't take part in it."

"You might have made the difference."

"Oh come on, I'm not the same joker who doesn't know my own strength. Not anymore."

"Hey, Kazuma!" yelled a female voice. Two of them approached the boys sitting at the station.

"Oh yeah, hey ladies. What's up?" asked Kuwabara.

"Where are you headed to," asked one of the girls.

"Nowhere... y'know," replied Kuwabara evasively. The girls didn't seem to mind.

"So, guess that's your girlfriend there?"

"You going to a motel?" asked the other girl.

Kuwabara spat out his drink, "He's a man okay! And a tough one!"

The girls were surprised to hear that. Kurama was just happy that San wasn't here. She would either laugh or glare, and either wasn't good. He just wasn't sure which one he would prefer.

"I know, maybe he's a..." the one girl left it hanging, walking over to him.

"I never knew you swung that way, " said the other girl. Yeah, definitely happy that San wasn't here.

"Hey, I like girls okay! He's just got delicate features," said Kuwabara. Kurama couldn't be more happier for his mate's vacancy at this point. This conversation was definitely one that she didn't need to hear.

"You gotta hang with us Kazume, word is, you're cool," said the one girl, getting on the train with her friend.

"See ya boys," said the other, turning to her friend and laughing as the doors closed, blocking all sound. The train departed.

"Sorry about that man," Kuwabara apologized.

"Don't be. I'm just happy San wasn't here for that," said Kurama.

"Yeah, she'd never let you hear the end of that one."

"I see you're doing much better with the girls these days though."

"Yeah, well when I was a freshman, I used my awareness to predict an earthquake. Been kind of a fascination to 'em ever since."

"You really do seem to be enjoying your high school life, Kuwabara."

"I guess," said Kuwabara, smiling. Their train had arrived, but the boys kept talking.

"Since your school's partnered with the university here, you should be a sure in."

"Yeah, people always think that, but we still have to pass the entry exams like everyone else. That's one thing I've learned though, I can beat tough odds," Kuwabara was silent for a moment, "I can't believe it's been two years..."

"What?"

"Two years since I've talked with Urameshi."

"Time does fly by."

"In ways it doesn't seem like its been all that long because of all the times you've come back to give me the latest news. But I do miss the guy."

"Well he hasn't changed a bit if that helps."

"Does he ever say anything about coming back?"

"Every time I see him, he says he has something different to take care of. Of course I heard of his promise to Keiko and his maybe true proposal, but sometimes I think he has cold feet."

"So he won't come back for a whole other year or maybe not at all? Guys repressed. For once he should make a choice not about fighting. You know Kurama, I'm surprised that Keiko hasn't gotten fed up and left him yet."

Kurama didn't know what to say. His own romance was much different than Yusuke and Keiko's. They arrived at the station, waiting for the others to meet them here. Kurama found it strange that Genkai had told him to meet up and hadn't sent San. Then again, San was known to disappear for days in the forest, and this was probably one of those times.

"Okay, there's still one thing I can't put together here," said Kuwabara.

"What?" asked Kurama, breaking out of his thoughts.

"Two years back we had this whole fight to stop Sensui from digging the tunnel that would let loose the strongest demons. At the end of the day they sealed the tunnel and the barrier now. So how come you, powerful as you are, have been able to come and go as you please?"

"It's because Reikai has brought down the barrier between the two worlds."

"Oh, okay, well that makes sense." Kurama waited for it, "WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY BROUGHT DOWN THE BARRIER? SO WE'RE COMPLETELY UNPROTECTED? SO THEY CAN USE US LIKE A FEED STORE?!"

"You know, bro, one of these days, you're going to blow out a lung," said Shizuru, walking up to them.

"Shizuru, it's been too long," Kurama greeted politely.

"Yeah. How is my favourite red head?" she smiled.

"There's no time for pleasant greetings, sis, we've got to watch out! There could be demons everywhere!" declared Kuwabara.

"Did you eat too much sugar today?"

"Rest assured. Koenma led an impeachment on the ruling party."

"Say what? Doesn't that mean...?" asked Kuwabara.

"Yes, his father, King Enma. He confronted his father about his crimes. In order to pad out the number of crimes and disturbances caused by demons in the Ningenkai, he oversaw the creation and maintenance of countless falsified reports and accounts concerning demons. They captured D-Class demons, brainwashed them, and released them into the Ningenkai with instructions to attack or otherwise harm humans. All so they could increase the numbers of cases they solved."

"B-but why?"

"By painting the demon world and its inhabitants as pure evil, the Reikai can then position themselves as the Ningenkai's only protector. That, in turn, makes their creating barriers and claiming territories seem noble and righteous, not totalitarian. And amidst the vast quantities of energy going unused by humans are things very important to the Reikai.

"But Koenma's findings stood in stark contrast to the image that the Reikai's always presented. Before the barrier was created, nearly all murders and kidnappings committed by demons were either requests or orders from humans. Humans used demons for everything, disposing of unwanted children and other family members, wiping out colonies of plague carriers, suppressing threats to their rule, solders for their wars... Humans used demons to do their dirty work for centuries. Of course, by no means were all demons completely innocent either.

"Still, nowadays we see one single case of a demon murdering a human in cold blood every few years. Most of them don't even try to scare humans or play tricks like they would in olden times. No, you see one demon-on-human killing for every few thousand human crimes.

"The Reikai claimed their barrier successfully kept the most evil demons from setting foot in the Ningenkai. But with Koenma's revelations, they no longer had a leg to stand on. Sensui's theft of their secret tape is what prompted him to start investigating. During his second or third time through a massive pile of documents, he noticed an abnormality, realized it had been falsified, and followed the trail," Kurama finished recounting what San had told him. He wasn't surprised in the least to hear about all of this. The two Kuwabaras were speechless after all that. They heard a knock on the window and turned to see a girl there.

"Is that Keiko?" asked Shizuru. Keiko waved.

"Wow, her hair looks a whole bunch longer now," observed Kuwabara. Evidently, these two hadn't seen each other in a while.

"Yeah, so do her legs."

"I grew too. Three inches this month!" said Kuwabara. Kurama had wondered if he had grown as well. He knew that San did, so perhaps he had as well. Standing to meet with Keiko, the three of them walked to their train. Shizuru stopped on the way to get supplies, it was a long ride, and then the four of them sat together.

...

Moriko tracked her little brother through the Makai. She started with the last place she had seen him a couple of months ago. He could travel long alright, but it only took her twelve days to find him. She had even run into Hiei on the way, stopping in to see how his patrol was going. Enki's orders were for the losers of the tournament to patrol the barrier, and send any humans back without their memories. Moriko laughed the other day when she had come across Hiei's face in the paper. She made sure he knew about it, not wanting him to make the same mistake twice.

She ran into Jin and Touya on her travels as well, staying with them for a night or so and then continuing on her journey, finally found her prey. He was in the place that she should have checked first, sitting in front of his father's grave. Moriko looked on sadly with her tawny eyes, and then walked over to him. She stood beside him, knowing that her presence would be acknowledged when he was ready.

"How ya been Moriko?" asked Yusuke glumly

"You're coming to accept reality. That is a good sign," said Moriko.

"I guess. What brings you to these parts of town?"

"Looking for you, actually. Genkai wants to meet with you."

"Genkai will have to wait. I still got some stuff to take care of."

"What are you looking for, Yusuke? Why this never ending quest?"

"I don't know. An answer."

"What is your question?"

"Who am I?"

"Yusuke Urameshi."

"Very funny."

"It was not meant to be taken in a humourous light. That is who you are."

"I mean on the inside."

"You mean which actions reflect your true self. Be you human or demon?"

"Yeah... I just can't figure it out."

"It's simple. You're whoever you want to be."

"That's not much of an answer."

"It wasn't much of a question."

"How do you have an answer for everything all the time?"

"What is time to a wolf?"

"I don't know how Kurama puts up with you sometimes."

"That is not for you to know. Now stop wallowing and come home."

Yusuke smirked, "Your really annoying at times, did you know that?"

"Foolish boy. How can you call me annoying when you're sitting here trying to figure yourself out. Lose your humanity, and you become a demon. Remember your values, and you remain human. Pick one and be done with it. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Yusuke laughed then, "I know deep down you're right, I guess I was just running from the answer."

"You mean procrastinating."

"Sure, why not? Let's go then. I'm sure dad will be fine if I leave this world for a little while."

...

Kuwabara was eating the food his sister had provided him. Keiko stared out the window, while Shizuru read the paper. They had spotted Hiei there, but Kurama explained that to them as well. He was wondering where his mate was, and why she hadn't been at the temple the past few of days. He enjoyed the summer with her, and now he was back in school. It did seem as if school never ended, but that was just apart of life.

But San had run off somewhere, and she hadn't returned yet. He wasn't worried, not like the last time she had disappeared. Especially since Genkai had not said anything to him. He was hoping that she'd be there this time, and not off wandering around the vast forest belonging to Genkai. The old woman hadn't mentioned why she had called them all there, but at least there wasn't any threat in the air.

The train arrived at the temple, and all that was left now, was climbing the stairs. Kurama led the way, and they walked in silence. That was, until they got to the top.

"Not a bad place she's got here," said Shizuru.

"Yeah, coming here always calms me down," said Kuwabara. Kurama couldn't help but agree.

"Hey guys," said Yukina, appearing through the door.

"Yukina!" exclaimed Kuwabara, running towards her.

"Hello Kazuma. Hello everyone. How have you all been?"

"Well I've been great!"

"Good. And everyone else?"

"Still alive," said Keiko.

"And what about you? I figure you'd be bored out of your mind just living here with Genkai and San," said Shizuru.

"Oh, we get by. Besides Kurama and Kazuma come by pretty frequently to visit."

"Oh?" questioned Keiko.

"Still trying to work that famous Kuwabara family magic, are ya bro?" asked Shizuru

Kuwbara laughed nervously, "Magic, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yukina, has San returned yet?" asked Kurama.

"No, not yet, but she should be back soon. She usually doesn't stay out too long," the young ice apparition answered with a smile.

"Is master Genkai here?"

"Of course. Here she is."

Genkai walked out of the door to greet them all at that point, "You're late," she stated. They all followed her into the room, and sat before her, waiting it seemed like. Kurama relayed the information he had for her, summarizing it.

"I see. So Yusuke hasn't returned yet," said Genkai. She was hoping that they would be back in time, perhaps San had gone to her mate first and then traveled here with them, "What the hell is he working on?"

"No one is really sure specifically," said Kurama.

"Oh come on, we know what he's doing," said Kuwabara, "He's picking fights, it's not like he cares about anything else now."

Shizuru elbowed her little brother. They all went silent after that, stealing glances at Keiko.

"You don't have to protect me, guys," she said smiling, "I'm just glad to see Genkai, let's focus on that."

"Yeah, me to. It's a relief to see you're still well," agreed Shizuru.

"I'm happy every day you're alive!" declared Kuwabara.

"Well that's a peachy spot I'm in. Sticking around just so you don't have a bad day," said Genkai. Kurama chuckled lightly.

"Well, I didn't know all of you would be here," said Botan, walking into the room.

"Hey Botan," Keiko greeted.

"Hello Keiko, love the hair."

"That's convenient, I guess Genkai called you the same time she called us," said Kuwabara.

"Me too," said Koenma in his teenage form.

"Koenma? Where did you come from?"

"Well... that's a lengthy story you'll have just have to ask my dad."

"You cheeseball!"

"Good," Genkai interrupted them, "You're all here. Now sit down. There's only one reason I asked you all to come. These recent years have caused me to think about my legacy, and so I want to tell you what to do after I die."

Kuwabara laughed a little, "Genkai, you shouldn't talk like that," he said lightly.

"It brings bad luck," Shizuru informed.

"You won't die soon," said Yukina.

"You look good," said Keiko.

"You look better than I do on some days," said Botan.

Genkai sighed, "Just shut up and let me get this done," she said. She got up from her spot and opened the doors, and looked outside, "Once you've given me a teary eyed funeral, I'll be leaving this whole estate to your group. That includes this temple and all surrounding land. A shore on one side and a stone wall on the other will tell you where it ends. Leave nature where it is. It takes several hours by car to reach the closest town. Not a convenient place for humans to live, but perfect for while the kakai barrier is down, but it will take a long time for humans and demons to live in peace. I spent my life trying to understand a demon and failed. Make this a safe house to breach the gap as I never could."

She began to walk outside, and the others got up to follow her. Kurama was curious as to why the old woman didn't wait for San to come back and say all of this. Or maybe she had, and San couldn't handle it, so she took off to deal with it. Kurama walked with his friends, listening to the nature out here.

"Amazing. All of this land, far as you can see belongs to her," said Kurama.

"Yeah... Definitely something we won't be chopping down," said Kuwabara, "We'll do a lot of good stuff here."

"We have time, we could go down to the shore," suggested Shizuru.

"Yeah," agreed Kuwabara, "Let's go. You game Yukina? It's guaranteed a lot of fun!"

"Sure," she replied.

They began to make their way down there, staying together. Kurama kept his nose out for his mate, however, wondering if she would return today or not.

...

San and Yusuke walked down to the shore. They had arrived at the temple not too long ago, but Genkai sent them out to see everyone. Her and Yusuke could talk later, now was the time to be with friends. San was eager to get there anyway, smelling her mate's scent fresh in the temple. Lucky for those two, they had demon speed, and made it there in no time.

The sun was setting, truly a beautiful sight. The two of them began to walk, wondering how far along their friends were. San could smell them, and cigarette smoke, compliments of Shizuru. San saw them in the distance, and Yusuke's eyes lit up as Keiko was easily spotted. She stood in the water, changing a lot of the past couple of years.

"THIS IS THE END! I'M TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU, YUSUKE! HALF MY LIFE I'VE WAITED FOR YOU TO COME AROUND! EVEN WHEN YOU WERE HERE, YOU WEREN'T REALLY! YOU WEREN'T HERE FOR ME! GO ON FIGHTING! BUT IT'S TIME I GET WHAT I WANT!" the two of them heard Keiko scream. San rubbed her ear a little. Man that girl was loud.

"I don't want you to wait either," said Yusuke, walking closer with San at his side. His voice triggered all their attention, and Yusuke stopped a good distance from Keiko. San kept walking, however, patting the girl on the shoulder as she passed by and continuing on towards the her mate, "See, you don't have to," said Yusuke, while San was swept up warmly in Kurama's embrace.

She watched as Keiko ran towards Yusuke and pretty much tackled him to the dirt. She finally kissed him and San smiled, watching a wave hit them. She could hear the echo of her mate's voice, as she kept one of her ears to his heart beat. Yusuke chased Keiko into the water, and they started splashing each other. Kuwabara got dragged into it, then Botan brought in Yukina. The two old friends started bickering and San looked on, liking the way it felt like old times.

"Ai shiteru," she whispered to Kurama.

"I love you," he spoke, kissing her.

"This peace won't last, there is something evil growing in the Makai."

"Perhaps it will disappear, koi. Let's give Enki some more room in his last year, and then we can investigate after the next tournament."

"I hope you're right, the feelings I got were quite wicked."

Kurama was concerned at that point. Without her seer powers, San wouldn't know any dangers coming ahead. But if she was getting this sort of feeling from wandering the Makai he can only assume to find Yusuke, then something could very well be up.

...

hey guys, thanks for stickin around. this is the end of the series, but there is still one more adventure to go and thats its for this story. thank you so much for my faithful readers and to the new ones out there. love you!


	64. The Beginning of the End

Life at the temple was quiet. With the final union of Keiko and Yusuke, it was like he had never come home. Kuwabara and Kurama were the only ones to stop by, Hiei only dropping in once in a while, but keeping to himself. He would find San in the trees or her garden, merely to talk about Makai affairs, but she knew it was just a ruse, his main goal to check on Yukina. Still though, everything was working much better than it had before, and the crime rate was going down. Enki was doing well, but a new tournament was coming up, and she was sure a different winner would prevail.

Hiei would be relieved from his post, and Reikai agents would decide what was better depending on who won the next tournament. If that wasn't enough, San knew the time was approaching for the Dark Tournament. That's right, just because everyone had died last time didn't mean that some other idiots couldn't throw one. She could smell it in the air, but she couldn't give an exact moment when it would take place.

To make matters worse, every time San had gone back into her place of birth, there always seemed to be something dark and sinister following her. It didn't have a scent, she could not see it to follow it, but she knew it was out there. She didn't like it, but she wasn't about to ignore it either. Upon informing Genkai and Kurama about these feelings, the two of them told her to stay cautious, but not to lead an attack. San wasn't too happy with those orders, but between the two of them, she was powerless if they so commanded her.

San sighed, leaning back in her tree. The sun was in the right position for her to gain colour on her skin, but she shied away. Never again would she let the sun burn her human skin. It was gross. She noticed something shining below her and grabbed the pendant to look at it. The fox always looked so life-like, as if it could move. She never took it off, not once since it had been there. She knew her mate had gotten it from the same place she did. The funny part was, that store wasn't there when she went to go look for it again. The pendants had a strange power lurking inside of them, but it wasn't bad. No, it felt more, happy, like it had just tightened their bond. Not that they really needed it, but still, it always worked.

She sat up after her last thought. She could smell something, something so familiar and yet, she wasn't sure if she should let it live. She used her vantage point to look around, and then she spotted the creature. It was a wolf, from her old clan. But why? Narrowing her tawny eyes, she vacated her spot, changing into her demon form as she went to figure out what this demon wanted. When she arrived close enough, she noticed that he was an official, a messenger. That meant he was unarmed, only one task in mind. She jumped down, waiting a moment for him to arrive at her spot.

"State your purpose," she commanded, her eyes unrelenting.

"Moriko," he bowed, and then straightened up, "I have come to convey a message from King Ozora, pack leader and King of the mighty Wolf Clan."

Moriko rolled her tawny eyes. They were all just delusional weaklings, one thing she had learned after she left there, "What does King Ozora want?"

"He wishes to make peace with you, and requests your presence in our grounds once more as his personal guest of honour. He guarantees no harm will come to you."

"What does he really want?"

"I'm sorry Moriko, but he did not tell me."

"Counting on my curiosity to get the best of me. He must be smarter than he looks..."

"He's a very good King, Moriko. Ever since you got rid of Natsuko, we have been free again. She was a horrible bitch."

Moriko smiled, "Why Kenji, is that any way to speak of your former Queen?"

"I always held you in the highest regard, your Majesty."

"That will not be necessary. Tell your King that I will be present, on my own time, and my mate will accompany me."

Kenji bowed again, "We look forward to your arrival," and then he was back on his way.

Moriko watched him go, before changing back to her human form. Now she would just have to tell Kurama about this, she wasn't sure he was going to be happy about it. He hated anything to do with her past life before him.

"What do you make of it?" she heard the demon side of her mate ask. He was standing behind her, much taller than her while she was human. San turned to face him, her tawny eyes clearly in thought.

"I don't know. But I do know that I'm perfectly capable of taking them all out if I need to. You're just good back up," she smirked at him.

"We should be wary, beloved, the wolves have never held you in high regard."

"Things change. Look at the past two and a half years."

"Yes koishii. Will you rule them again?"

San shook her head, "No, I left that shit behind a long time ago. Fuck it, I'm happy being free."

Youko smiled, kissing her fiercely, "I am glad to hear that."

"Why is it you always question my decisions? I thought by now you would know better than to assume I would regret it."

"One can never be too sure, beloved."

"Well one can shove it up his ass. Stop asking about my commitment, its rude and I don't like it. If I wanted to leave, I would have, long ago. You're stuck with me."

He smiled, sweeping her off her feet, and bringing her somewhere that they couldn't be bothered. The things he would do to her did not need to be seen by any unfortunate people or demons coming to the temple.

...

"Yusuke, about fucking time. Where the hell have you been?" asked San. She had come back from her daily hunt, the night sky clear and bright, only to find her little brother sitting in the dining room with Genkai and Yukina. San's place was set, her plate just waiting for food. Her stomach made a noise, she was incredibly ravenous. The meat supply for tomorrow would be good, she had caught a nice fat deer.

"Taking some time with the Mrs., not like you can't come out of seclusion to see anyone," replied Yusuke.

"Fat chance. I'm not human, remember?"

"Neither am I."

"More so than I'll ever be. How is Keiko anyway?"

"Focused on school. She's like the female version of Kurama when it comes to school."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Had a bit of fight cause she wants me to go back."

"Well why not? You need all the help you can get."

"Nah, I think I'll just enjoy my time off from running around and saving the world."

"I don't think so man," said San, looking at Genkai.

"Koenma showed up here three days ago," said the old woman.

"Oh yeah? What's the twerp up to now?" asked Yusuke.

"A disturbance in the Makai."

"Great. Who blew it this time?"

"No one, but we can be sure that after this upcoming tournament, we'll need to keep our eyes peeled. San has been out gathering information from quiet corners, and they're talking of a revolution."

"It's not good. They're pretty pissed off about something, but I can't get close enough to hear," said San.

"What kinda demons are we talking? Small, weak, what?" asked Yusuke.

"Powerful. Upper S Class."

"Huh. Good thing I'll be fighting in this tournament."

"I thought you might. We've only got three months left until it starts, and then we'll have to deal with a different kind of ruler entirely. When Kurama has time, we'll be going to my old home, the territory of the wolf clan. I know I can gather all the information I need there. They're all trained spies."

"You're going back?"

"I was personally invited as a guest of honour."

"But I thought they all hated you there?"

"They did, until I killed Natsuko in the last tournament."

"Death gets you in, death gets you out. You wolves are fucked."

"The higher council is full of idiots. I don't plan on staying, I have my own mission. Kurama is simply for appearances and back up if I really need him. I haven't seen Ozora in a while, so I don't know how well he's developed."

"Just be careful. While I was travelling, I got attacked a lot over there."

"Yusuke, you aren't supposed to drink from their watering holes without asking, you should have already known that."

Yusuke laughed then, "Well... yeah..."

"Koenma is employing us with the task of stamping out the rebellion. The crimes his father committed are well known in Makai, and it would be foolish to think that it is a retaliation with the barrier down. Hiei will be relieved of duty, and we'll start using him as well. Kurama and Kuwabara have already been informed," said Genkai.

"Well, just point to the target and I'll get 'em," said Yusuke.

"Oh, my hero," San smirked, eating her food.

...

San spent the rest of her night in her garden. Yusuke had gone after dinner and since Yukina was around, the wolf never had to cook or clean again. She supplied the food, and the ice apparition was more than happy to wrestle with a carcass after San had brought it home. That girl was a lot stronger than she looked, that was for sure. The days of summer were approaching, her plants of light flourishing. The darkness plants didn't do so well with so much light, but San managed. Sometimes she felt that this space was simply not enough. She stood before the dragonite, and wondered what kind of weapon it would give her when the time is right.

It was flourishing nicely, not a single thing out of place. She could feel its strength, but knew that she had to feed it soon. It had grown so much over the past two and a half years. It had finally separated, the two trees intertwining with one another, and the blossoms a combination of pinks, blues, silvers and purples. She knew that it would get too big for this place, and eventually it would have to move. But that was a long time from now, and she knew that it's first relocation would be the forest. She already had the best place, guarded by the wolf pack with various other belongings that she would not care to go missing.

She smiled then, smelling her mate's arrival. Her senses had gotten much better since she had returned to almost normal demon life, and they could only get better after fully recovering. She heard the door to her room opening, and waited for him to approach her.

"I was wondering when you'd be back," she said, looking into his green orbs.

"My apologies, San, things were just getting hectic," he replied, standing next to her.

"Shit happens. You finally done school yet?"

"Not yet. Soon, my love."

"It sure is taking a while."

"Of course. It takes a lot of studying to get a good job and support yourself."

"Why bother? Life is easily sustainable the way I live it."

"It's a custom."

"Oh... well if it's a custom I suppose it's alright. Doesn't make much sense, I mean, we lived just fine before without all this education. In that sense, it's not much of a custom, is it?"

"I suppose not, San."

"Tedious," she clicked her tongue.

Kurama smiled, never getting tired of her ignorance to human life. He hoped she would never change. Putting an arm around her, the two of them then began to feed their sacred connection, the dragonite plant. Well, it was more like a tree. But as they put forth their energy, they could feel it giving them strength beyond measures. He then pulled her into a complete hug.

"I was hoping I could spend the night with you," he murmured.

"You don't have to ask," she pointed out, lost in the rhythmic beating of his heart. That is one thing she will miss when his human life expired. Demons didn't have hearts, and no matter what, she loved that sound.

"I like to."

"You never used to back in the day."

"Things were different then."

"Not really. You're just being a human again."

Kurama chuckled lightly, "I suppose so, koi." He kissed her then, his hand cupping her cheek. She so warm for some reason, and he was completely drawn to her. He kept his forehead pressed to hers, her scent utterly intoxicating. How lucky he was to have this goddess. She was a child of the forest, and blessed with wisdom, just as her name suggested. Nothing, not a damn thing would ever keep them apart again, he would make sure of it.

San could never find a way to describe her love for her mate. It was always something she knew, lived and breathed, never something she could put into words. She wasn't sure if there was such a thing beyond love, but if there was, that was how she felt. She would never let something get in the way of this feeling. She fed off it like a drug, and her only wish was for it to never end.

"Come, koi. We should rest up before we leave tomorrow," he whispered in her ear. She nodded lightly, letting him lead her to her bed. He kept his arm around her while she slept. He stared at her sleeping form, the moon just right to light up her face. He wouldn't sleep tonight, the events of the last few days really getting to him, and he knew that the adventure wasn't quite over yet.

But he would protect her, and everyone else to. No matter what.

...

sorry, lil short, think of it as an introduction to the last part of the story.. thanks guys :)


	65. Now What

"We should rest here, Youko," said Moriko. The two had returned to Makai, to figure out what the wolves wanted, and what information they could give them. It was a long journey, but Moriko could sense them, and she knew they couldn't hide from her. The sun had risen, and she knew that they would be sleeping during the day, having hunted all night. Moriko had reset his sleeping schedule, and adjusted her own. Neither of them knew how much time they were going to spend with the wolves, but Moriko knew that nothing would change with them.

The demon fox looked at her, and then nodded. Upon arrival, he could finally feel what she was talking about every time she came here. This strange feeling of dread that wasn't normal for here. There was something out there, and it was just waiting for the perfect time to strike. The two of them created a temporary den, just as they used to before they were separated. He held her close, not liking the feeling he got from his surroundings. He barely slept, but he didn't dare let her know.

No, she had much more to worry about. He knew that keeping his guard up would require sleep, but he just couldn't. She seemed to rest peacefully every night, and he couldn't figure out how. It made him worry when she traveled here alone for days on end. He didn't trust the wolves. He couldn't figure out why centuries had passed and now they wanted to see her on good terms. He could only feel that it was a trap. But, that was just natural when it came to being in demon form in the Makai. It was hard to trust again, especially after the way they cast her out.

He watched her sleep, much like he used to when he traveled with the pack. He could never really adjust to her hours, but he could also go days without sleep. She was calm and serene, and he gently brushed some tawny hair from her face. He smiled slightly, and then went back to keeping his guard up, pulling her closer to his body. She smiled, moving to kiss his neck.

"Sleep," she commanded lightly. He kissed the top of her head, and tried to feign sleep. He wasn't sure if she could see through it or not, but if she did, she didn't say anything.

...

The sun was setting when they had arrived in the forest of the wolves. Moriko could smell them, and once she had entered the territory, she stopped. Youko was by her side, keeping his eyes and ears peeled. He knew that they would be about to collect them. He couldn't help but wonder why they had called the only member they had cast out of their clan. Why this sudden interest? Something just wasn't right about it. He caught a scent in the air, however, and he knew that the wolves were coming.

Moriko stood, waiting for them. Her eyes were deep in thought, and she looked almost majestic with her long tawny hair blowing in the wind. He stood tall beside her, a menacing look on his face and arms crossed. He saw three wolf demons come out from the darkness of the forest, and scowled at them. The two pups bowed to the lovers.

"The mighty Wolf Clan is honoured to receive Moriko Chie and her mate, Youko Kurama," said the younger one. A surprisingly deep voice came out of him, and he stood to face them.

"Let us make haste, I wish to bathe," she spoke down to them. Her head was kept up and demure, every inch a Queen. Youko's gaze was unrelenting as well. He knew how important it was that she show no sign of weakness, especially to the grunts. The two of them followed the lower class wolves, all the way back to the den. Moriko kept up her attitude, as they were brought through the first barrier of defense caverns, getting closer to where the king resided.

Nothing had changed in the past few years. That didn't surprise her. The den was only meant for sleeping and raising young. It was made so that if it is lost, they could make a quick get away without worrying about personal belongings. It was a life she was happy to leave behind.

They were brought to the guest caverns, the young pups saluting before leaving them. Moriko walked into the guest room, noticing that everything was just as she left it. Youko glared around the walls, smelling wolves everywhere. His mate walked into the chamber close to what he assumed was the bedroom. He followed her, and then blushed slightly. She was already naked, and in what looked like a hot spring. Her face was aglow and dreamy, as she let the water cover her face.

"Beloved, there are eyes everywhere," he spoke, his eyes never leaving her.

"Yes dear. Spying is something we're quite good at. However, no wolf in the pack usually gets as powerful as us, so they are never really sensed," she explained calmly, "Only the King's personal spies are trained very high, and they are used out in the field. The ones here are working up to that kind of training." He just stared at her, his mind distracted by her graceful movements, "You should bathe, Youko. It would be unwise to go see the King smelling like the forest."

He didn't need to be told twice. Smirking playfully, he joined her, enjoying her laugh as he disrupted her peace of mind in the baths.

...

King Ozora of the Wolf Clan was not a very experienced nor young wolf at all. He was the closest relative to Natsuko, and therefore, the only logical choice for the throne. Most were worried because of his age, if he was still capable of producing an heir, if he ever found a mate. Some wolves just wished for the joy of the hunt, finding a mate was another part of life he just wasn't into yet. The court feared that he would be a pup forever.

But Moriko Chie wasn't intimidated by his façade, nor was she fooled. This king had more than meets the eye, and she could see right through it. So as she stood there exchanging pleasantries that were just utterly boring, they waited. She was reintroduced to the high council, though she gave them very nasty glares. They weren't too much of a fan having a kistune in their territory, but they made the exception. All of them knew that they weren't on very good terms with the wolf.

But it was just as good. When everything formal was taken care of, they adjourned, going to a different room to speak privately. The three of them waited until the rest of the crowd was loud enough before the fox and the wolf could find out what this was all about.

"So, Ozora, tell me why you've called me here," said Moriko. The old wolf sat down, his years really catching up to him. His tail and hair were completely grey.

"Yes, let's get straight to the point. As you can see, I don't have many years left, Moriko," said the King.

"Why have you summoned her?" asked Youko, his voice hard. His golden eyes bore a vengeance on this place, and the King could sense it.

"The point was made. I don't have much time left in this world, no mate, and no heir. There are things going on in this world that I would not be able to control nor keep these people safe. You, Moriko, were the greatest ruler since King Yota and Queen Nishiko. You kept us out of trouble and we won every clan war that popped up. As I understand it, you kitsune's put up a great fight."

"I left my clan long before the wars broke out," said Youko, his gaze unrelenting.

Ozora nodded, "We need a ruler who can keep us alive, Moriko. One that can guarantee our survival. By technicality, since you are not dead, you are still Queen. And I would gladly leave everything in your capable hands."

"No," she said simply.

"No?"

"No. I have left this life behind, I will no longer deal with petty and official affairs. I am free, Ozora, and I shall remain that way. As for that technicality, I shall instate you as Regent. Find a mate, Ozora, and have children quickly. If not, find someone you trust and adopt them. It is your only way out of this," she commanded, much like she would if she had remained. It seemed as if this life was not completely out of her yet.

"That still won't matter. If I am Regent, you are still considered the Queen."

"Only by title. It is empty while a Regent is around, I have no obligations, they are passed down to you."

"Very well, your Majesty," said Ozora sadly.

She walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure there is a way for you to get out of this."

"Yes. It will be as you say. I shall adopt a capable pup and train him."

"It would be very wise. Besides, the council is holding their breath waiting for you to die. Imagine how furious they'll be when they find out your recently conjured up plan."

Ozora smiled at that thought, "Especially when you crown me as Regent!" he exclaimed with glee. He didn't look very old with such a childish look on his face.

"Now, to get to my point," she spoke, somewhat harshly.

"What is it then?"

"Have you heard anything about a revolution afoot?"

He screwed up his face in thought, putting a hand to his chin, "Now that you mention it, some of our intelligence has gotten wind of a rebellion towards King Enma."

"Really?"

"Yes. They keep speaking in quiet corners of a master, but so far, no one has seen him. But they've all been hush hush about it. Anyone can smell it in the air. The crimes of King Enma are not foreign to our lands. Many demons want retribution, but none are foolish enough to take on all of Reikai. Our intelligence hasn't gathered much, I didn't think it would be important. But there have been reports of a slight call for those willing to fight for Makai. We haven't made out his name or even what he looks like."

"Get closer, Ozora, we need to know what's going on. If there's a mobilization here, then it could very well spread into the Ningenkai, causing another barrier and not for unreasonable crimes. Everyone knows one way to get back at Reikai is to start torturing humans."

"Agreed."

"Another thing, teach the spies in the castle how to better mask their energy."

"We can't all be upper S class demons, Moriko."

"Of course not, but they're so idiotic that D class could sense them. Send your best men to figure out what's going on and who's calling the shots. I'll be in contact. We'll remain until after the Regent ceremony, and then we will leave. It's all in _your _capable hands, and I won't tolerate failure."

"Yes, your Majesty."

She smiled then, "Now, what can we do about that fat ox you have cooking in your kitchens?"

...

"I do not trust it, Moriko," he said as they were on their journey home.

"Trust what, Youko?" she asked. They weren't going very fast, but not many could keep up with them.

"The wolves. How do we know that they'll keep their word?"

"Because as Ozora pointed out, I am still Queen."

"They have cast you out before, what's to stop their betrayal again?"

"Nothing. But they know my power and what I have been doing these past few centuries. They would be fools to challenge me now."

"Perhaps. We should check in on the tournament. It has already begun."

"Yes, it would be wise to see where we stand on a leader."

It didn't take them long to reach the stadium. They saw that Enki was still there, as well as Jin, Touya and Suzuka. Shishiwakamaru, Chu and Rinku had already been cast out. Hokushin was still in, as well as Yusuke. Mukuro and Hiei were still there as well, and Yomi and Shura. Everything seemed to going smoothly, but then, it was still only the preliminaries. The two demons made their way through the crowd, hoping to spot any of their friends.

"Chu," Moriko greeted. He was standing on his own watching the monitors. They were just waiting for a couple of the groups to finish their eliminations.

"Hey sheila, Kurama, fancy seein you here," he spoke, obviously drunk.

"How's the tournament going?"

"Pretty slow. There were double the applicants of the last one. Word is though, Yomi's going to win it this time 'round."

"You're sure?" asked Youko.

"Sure as they come."

"How come you are not still competing?" asked Moriko.

"I saw the most beautiful sheila..." his eyes went dreamy.

Moriko laughed, "You have not changed, old friend."

"I'm not worried, I have all week to get her to me."

"All week?"

"Yeah. With so many demons, this thing'll go on for at least two weeks. Everyone wants a chance at power, and you can tell by the way they've been training."

"I suppose so..."

"We should go, beloved," said Youko.

"Yes. We're returning home. Come by the temple soon, bring the rest of you. We need to discuss urgent matter."

Chu nodded at the seriousness of her voice.

...

It was maybe a week later that the two demons left the Wolf Clan. San was happy to be home, and Kurama returned back to his mother. The Demon World Tournament was still going, but San didn't feel the need to enter again. She had nothing to gain, not with the way the laws were now. However, if someone was crowned that started messing up the order that was instilled, San would personally kill him herself, until someone she liked was on the throne. She couldn't believe that Ozora had tried to get her to take her rightful place once more. She didn't belong there.

Genkai had been filled in on all the plans and everything that was happening in the Makai. All they had to do now was wait for more information. Kurama wasn't too pleased with the way she would be going there every so often, but she suggested that he accompany her and that put an end to his argument. The information was passed onto Koenma, with instructions not to act until they found out more. If San was going to keep this revolution from happening, she needed to make sure all the players cooperated.

It was maybe mid afternoon, and she was dozing in her tree. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but she woke up with a start. She looked around suspiciously. She could smell her mate, but that wasn't what caused her to wake up. He came to her branch without a word. It looked as if he was going to speak, but the look on her face made him silent. Something was going on, and he wondered what was happening. It started to go dark, and the two of them looked up curiously. And eclipse was taking over the sun.

"I did not know there would be an eclipse today," said Kurama.

"It's..." San felt something horrid in her chest, "It's not natural," she said. The eclipse didn't last long, "Can't you feel it, Kurama?"

"Feel what?" he was confused.

"The Earth. It's..." she couldn't bring herself to talk, she was in too much pain. The rest of the day was dark. Once the eclipse had gone, the clouds settled in, and then it began to rain, "IT'S CRYING IN PAIN!" she screamed, holding her chest.

"San, calm down, please," she heard her mate, the worry in his voice. He didn't understand why he couldn't feel this pain.

"MAKE IT STOP!" but as she screamed, thunder and lightning struck. The rain came down hard, not even giving anyone a chance. The clouds just appeared, and then they were gone at the same time. She screamed again, Kurama losing her hold on her. She fell, hitting many branches on her way down.

"San!" he jumped down from branch to branch, trying not to slip himself. He could barely hear her, the thunder roaring in the sky. He finally caught her and landed smoothly. She was unconscious, which would be why he couldn't hear her on the way down. He could barely feel the pain from her hitting the branches, which meant that they didn't hurt her all that badly. That was a good thing at least. Hugging her tightly, he ran towards the temple, wanting to get out of the rain as quickly as possible.

He couldn't figure out what had happened to her, but with an unnatural eclipse and all this talk of rebellion, something serious was going on here. What else could possibly go wrong?


	66. Endless Rain

When San awoke a few days later, she knew that something was wrong. She could sense it, something major had happened. It was still raining hard outside, but she couldn't quite figure out what was going on. That eclipse, it wasn't natural at all. Something bad was going to happen, and she wished to holy hell that she had her seer powers to aid her. The feelings she got, it was too intense, she couldn't handle it. Even now, this rain, it was the Earth warning them, trying to tell them something. If only she could figure it out herself. But she was only a demon. The threshold wasn't as strong as if she was a live wolf.

That gave her the next plan of action. She should go see the wolves in the forest to figure out what was going on, what the warning was. The fact that she could even feel it at all impressed her. But she knew she couldn't leave the temple without Kurama. He hadn't returned since the first day, but she knew that he would be back. Yukina had been in once or twice, Genkai once with Yusuke, and that was about it. San stayed in her room until her mate would return to the temple. It was unnatural, yes, but what good did going outside do for her? With the rain, it would be harder to smell anything anyway.

But that was the least of her problems. She had to be able to get to and from Makai in order to figure out what Ozora's spies could dig up. She had all the pieces in play, just needed the next move. Her only thought was that this eclipse and rain had something to do with the enemy. Not only that, but she had to figure out who won the tournament. It wasn't Yusuke, he was already out. There had to be a winner by now, and she had to know before she made her next move. The ruler of Makai had to be someone she could deal with, someone on her side that she could count on if she needed troops.

She had seen this many times before. She had been in many clan wars, and she wasn't chief of the military for nothing. If this was war, they would need to be in the defensive, since they didn't know what they were dealing with yet. But she wasn't about to go around and divulge that information. She would go see the wolves in the forest, go to Ozora, and then call Jin and the others to figure out what was going on. Those six demons had good ears if they needed them, and any additional help would be the clincher at this point in time.

But first she had to wait for her mate. As she stared out at the weeping grey sky, she felt depressed. She had put up a tarp when she woke up, knowing that her plants would die with too much rain water. But that was the extent of her abilities while she waited. If only he would hurry up, she hated that she wouldn't be able to smell him. She sighed, trying to go over every one of her calculations, everything she would need with the information she had. If only she had her foresight, it would just be so much easier.

"San," she heard Kurama's voice behind her. She turned to look up at him from her bed, and smiled slightly.

Kurama could see she was in deep thought. She was trying to figure something out. After everything that happened with Ozora and the eclipse, her mind was working around the clock. But so was his. The only problem is, he didn't have her gift, and he wasn't sure how she would function without hers. But she had deeper connections than he did.

"Yomi won the tournament," he said softly, sitting on her bed beside her.

"Good. We may need him," she said, staring back out into her garden. She really didn't like all this rain.

"Need him for what?"

"There could be a war on our hands, Kurama. If we need troops, he'll mobilize."

"True. When did you wake up?"

"This morning."

"Any pain?"

She shook her head, "No, nothing."

"Do you know what happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure. But I believe that it was my connection to nature. Though it doesn't explain why you didn't feel anything."

"We're demons."

"Yeah... Either way, we're going to see the wolves in the forest."

"Understood."

"I'm eating first though. With all this rain, there will be nothing to hunt."

...

After filling Genkai in on the plan of action, San changed into her wolf form and ventured forth with Kurama at her side. He stayed in human form, though she thought that would be a big mistake. But she didn't stray too far from him, especially when they got closer to their territory. San stayed closer to him and utilized her nose as best as she could. The rain wasn't letting up, and judging from the clouds, it wasn't going away any time soon. She hated having to find her way in the rain. Because it would be hard to smell, she let out a howl once she reached the edge of the territory.

Kurama wasn't sure what to expect. The Wolf Clan was one thing, but these were wild wolves, and they weren't demons. If he could change into an animal form, it would probably be easier, but he remained human. The wolves would probably know whether or not he was human in the first place, animals had a keen sense for these things.

He knew that these wolves would function pretty well the same as their demon counterparts. His best bet was to follow whatever movements his mate made. He didn't want to do anything to jeopardize the relationship between San and the wolves. If they proved useful, it was definitely a good idea to be observant. At least this band of wolves he could trust. He heard San howl again from where she sat. They waited, but not for long this time. He could see three wolves making their way towards them, and then they sat on their haunches. San bowed her nose, and Kurama followed suit.

"One is happy to see you again, little sister," said the pack leader, though Kurama couldn't understand a word they were saying.

"One is happy to be received by the pack leader," San spoke respectfully.

"One has noted you have brought your mate," said the mate of the pack leader with distaste.

"One will also note that we are unusual. One and one's mate require different forms for our tasks."

"One is wondering what you wish from our den."

"One wishes to gather information. The dark is eternal, and one wishes to exchange information."

"The wet from the sky concerns us all, little sister. Return with us to our den," said the pack leader. San bowed again, and then began to follow the wolves. Kurama walked carefully, not wanting to alarm them, but not wanting to look suspicious either. San had always said that so long as you never gave a wolf the need to fight, they would leave you alone.

The journey to the den wasn't too far. He could see a stream of water, but couldn't smell any food around. It was hard to smell anything with all this rain about. Still, he pressed on, curious as to how a wild non-demon wolf lived. In a similar way, it gave him some insight to what his mate deemed as natural. Sure, the Wolf Clan was her home, but that wasn't where she was born. No, they had been in different location since she was born, so there was no way to really figure out how she grew up. At their age, they were still considered young. Their intelligence level was higher than their age by far, but that wasn't something to think about now.

He constantly wondered what was going through San's head. He knew that wouldn't stop thinking until she had everything she needed to plan an attack. As it stood, she would do the same thing he did, plan for every possible outcome. But then again, where did he learn it in the beginning? It was no wonder the Wolf Clan had never lost a war with her at the head of the military. He slightly wondered what went wrong with that.

Finally arriving at the den of the wild wolves, Kurama had to duck in get there. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the dark, seeing as the wolves would have no need of fire. A few wolves of the pack growled at him, but held their grounds in respect for the pack leader. Kurama could see and hear young pups, and smiled slightly. Kurama wondered what would have happened if that demon hunter had not found them. Their young... He smiled sadly, walking on.

They came to the furthest part of the cavern. Kurama could see clearly now, how every part of the den was for a specific thing. It was bigger than if the two of them had their own den, seeing as there was a whole pack to accommodate for, as well as new pups. The pack leader, with his grey shot muzzle sat before them, his mate beside. A couple of the pups ran towards them, and San bowed her head respectfully, sitting on her haunches. Kurama found that sitting was easier than trying to stand and having to constantly be bent.

"We must speak. There is something going on in the world I come from. What has been happening here? Why does the sky stay dark and wet constantly fall?" asked San.

"One has noted there is something dark out there. A beast lies in hiding, and it has been roaming the dirt," said the pack leader.

"Yes. One has noticed a lot of plotting in my own world. How often does this beast come to the dirt?"

"It has come forth every since the wet and the dark."

"This beast have a name?"

"One has not heard of one. But when the beast shows itself, we hide."

"That bad... One and one's mate will fight it. It would be best to stay in your den."

"What will we hunt? What will we feast upon? What of our young?" asked the pack leader's mate. She bared her fangs at Kurama, "One suggest we eat the man thing at your side."

San growled then, standing in front of her mate, "The man thing will not be touched."

"The man thing is mated to our little sister. It will not be touched. One can sense it is not truly a man thing to begin with," said the pack leader.

Kurama was completely confused. The wolves made gestures, and he assumed that was how they spoke. At one point, the female beside the pack leader looked at him with her fangs, but San was in front of him and growling. He supposed she had said something offensive. He could only assume that the pack leader's mate did not care for San, and therefore him either.

But finally, San stood on all fours, bowing respectfully and then walked away. Kurama bowed to them as well, and then followed his mate. When she had gotten out of the den and out of their territory, she changed to her demon form. She kicked at one of the trees in anger, and Kurama's green eyes were curious.

"What happened?" he asked.

Moriko looked down at her mate, since he was short in human form, "The wolves said there was something roaming this Earth, and it is the cause of the rain and the eclipse. They won't even leave their den if they smell it."

"What do you think it could be?"

"Definitely a demon. I'll have to check back with the intelligence, and then see what Chu and the others found. If we can get some kind of information on this enemy, we will be able to figure out what we're up against."

"Yes, koi. Just try to relax."

"I can't!" she screamed, kicking the tree again. Kurama could see that there were tears in her eyes, "This feeling, it is not something that can be ignored. We must figure this out."

The intensity of her voice really took him by surprise, "What do you know?"

"Nothing. And that is what scares me the most. It is so hard to know what to do without my power, and I just don't understand why it's gone! I cannot think properly without it!" she wept, though it was hard to tell in the rain.

Kurama walked over to her, and put his hand within hers. His green orbs looked into her sad tawny eyes. There was nothing he could do. He had no answers for her. This was the first time she had truly been lost because of her power disappearing. He never realized just how much apart of her it was, nor how much she relied on it. He hugged her demon form, wishing he could take her pain away. He changed into his demon form, so that he could hold her properly.

He used his power to keep the rain from them, and held her tight. They were soaked, but at least this way they could maybe get dry for a little bit. He kissed her, trying not to smell her, and she continued to cry.

"Koishii... I'm sure it will return," he spoke softly.

"But in the necessity, how does losing my power help?" she asked, trying to calm herself.

"Perhaps you must use your talents without your gift."

"Why bother giving it to me in the first place?"

"You have often said how much of a curse it was. Now it is no longer your burden to bear."

"Yes... But it gave me warning, it prepared me for what was necessary. Like when Kuwabara could have died..."

"What is the point of having something that can only cause you such suffering?"

Moriko sighed. There were pro's and con's and she couldn't answer his question. She gave up, leaning her head on his shoulder. He didn't smell very good, but she assumed she wasn't any better. He held her gently, his voice was soothing. Just his presence calmed her, made everything okay. They didn't speak for a long time, but didn't make a movement either. She had abandoned her tears, but her mind was still rolling, still thinking. She knew he wasn't going to stop either, he would think his way through the same as she would.

"The wolves won't leave their den. I'll be returning here with enough food for the pack. They cannot hunt in the rain anyway," said Moriko, her voice almost back to normal.

Youko just nodded, "I will help, beloved."

"We need to get more information, figure out what is happening so we can be ready."

"Yes. But for now, we best get back and inform the others of our findings."

"Agreed. But not until we gather up what the intelligence has to say as well as Jin and the others. It'd be best to have us all together before we start comparing notes."

"True. I'll start staying with you. The other's should stay as well, and we need Hiei."

"This is going to be war, Youko, I can feel it."

"I know koishii, but between us, we'll be ready."

"I can only hope so..."

Moriko worried what would happen if they couldn't prepare in time. The second move was already made. She had a feeling a very serious attack was underway, and they were completely unprepared for it. They needed all the help they could get, whether it be from Makai, this world, or Reikai. They could mobilize all they wanted, but it would mean nothing unless they got an insight to who their enemy was, and how powerful he was going to be. She stood then, hearing a whisper in the air.

"Do you hear that?" she asked her mate, dismissing their shelter and looking around. She could hear a warning howl in the distance, and she wondered if the beast the wolves spoke of was out.

"The howling?" he questioned, confused. Moriko's ear twitched. She shook her head no. There was something out there, but she couldn't smell it, couldn't see it. She cocked her head to the side listening intently. She could finally hear what was being said.

"No, I can hear whispering in the forest."

"What does it say?"

"Just one word..."

Youko waited a moment, "What is it beloved?"

Moriko was silent for a moment, trying to confirm that this was what she could really hear. She narrowed her tawny eyes, her mate's gaze upon her very intense. She looked at him then, mostly confused.

"Hiroki."


	67. The Next Step

Two months later, and the rain hadn't let up a bit. The city was beginning to panic, and crime was going up. Some people were forced out of their homes, due to flooding in their basement. The Kuwabara's had relocated to the temple, as well as Keiko and Yusuke. Kurama had come as well, and much to San's surprise, Kaito, Mitsunari, Kido, and Mitarai. The four humans came to the temple not too long ago, knowing that something was afoot and wishing to help out with whatever was going on. Mitarai was extremely helpful, his control of water keeping the temple from damage. The most unexpected recruit to show up was Sniper. At first, San wasn't sure where his loyalties lied, but she used her telepathic ability to figure it out.

The temple was full, but everyone pitched in to make sure it stayed clean and they had food. The guest rooms were running out, so some had to share with others. Kurama, of course, stayed with San in her room, and she was thoroughly enjoying it, despite the events at foot. The problem was, there wasn't any information to give. San had located Jin and the others, but she was waiting for them to come to the temple. She wasn't going to inform Yomi about anything until the time was right.

During the waiting period, San continued to bring food to the wolves, hoping to gain some more information. They had been stuck in their den, rarely able to hunt with all this rain. San feared they would relocate, but she was sure she'd be able to find them again if they had left. She just hoped that this rain disappeared before long, or else many animals would start to die off. The Earth was crying, and she felt so powerless, being unable to do anything about it.

Kurama did his best to console her, but even he was starting to feel the connection she had with nature, and why it bothered her so. They spent most of their time in her room, planning and plotting. It was much easier when they could bounce ideas off of each other. They couldn't figure out anything to do with the name San heard, Hiroki. They couldn't recall a time when he had ever popped up or anything like that.

San sighed, sitting in her lover's embrace, and continued to look up at the sky. The tarp had been replaced with a much stronger one, and her room felt gross. But she rarely closed the door to her garden, only when it was cold out. Kurama ran his fingers gently up and down her arm, his mind in deep thought. Without the extra information provided by Touya and the others, as well as the wolf clan, all they could do was wait. At this particular day, it was three months since the rain had started, and his family had went on an all expenses paid for vacation at the insistence of his step father's company. Kurama politely declined the invitation, telling his mother he would stay with friends. Besides, it was about time he found a place to live on his own.

"The others will hopefully arrive soon," said Kurama lightly. He didn't get a response. He looked down and noticed she had fallen asleep. He smiled sadly, pulling her blanket over them. She needed to sleep, and with the sky dark, it was always hard to tell what time of day it was. He noticed the others had started to get edgy with each other. Keiko and Yusuke fought, as well as Kuwabara and Shizuru. Hiei had flat out refused to stay at the temple, but Kurama knew that he was around the area, or gathering information in Makai.

The door to the room opened, and Keiko poked her head through it. Kurama looked up expectantly at her.

"Koenma is here. He wants to speak with everyone in the dojo," she said lightly, probably to avoid waking up San. Kurama nodded at her, and she closed the door quietly. He sighed, wishing that he didn't have to wake up his mate. He moved gently so he could see her better, and then began to play with her ear. Her face began to look annoyed, as she moved away from his touch. He continued his efforts, however.

"That's really irritating, Youko," she spoke sleepily. Kurama smiled, knowing it was her natural response from when he used to do this to her all the time. It was the only way he knew of to wake her up without shaking her violently. She opened her tawny eyes and looked at him. His smile was infectious, and she couldn't help but mimic it, "Sorry. Habit."

"I know koi. But the name isn't anything, we are the same, as you've so pointed out," he said lightly.

"What's up anyway?"

"Koenma wishes to speak with us in the dojo?"

"Why us?"

"Everyone."

"Well why didn't you say that then?"

"I didn't mean just us..."

"Well say what you mean man!" she laughed then. She got up from her bed, the blanket falling to the floor, and waited for him to be ready. It didn't take very long, all he really had to do was get up. San led the way to go dojo, wondering what Koenma could possibly want.

...

"As most of you know, there's a problem," Koenma began after Kurama and San had entered the dojo, "There is a demon out there making a lot of noise in Makai. We don't know much about him, but we do know that he isn't interested in ruling it, he wants all the worlds in one. He did not participate in the Demon World Tournament, nor did any of his followers. The only thing we know, is he has a vengeance on my father."

"You don't know where or who he is?" asked Kaito.

"No. His power is the most powerful we have ever encountered."

"Hn. You fools should have been on this since you took down the barrier," said Hiei.

"Perhaps. But with my father's crimes, there was no way we could have prepared for this."

"The name of the demon is Hiroki," Kurama spoke, "He caused the eclipse here, and the rain is apart of his power as well."

"How do you know this?" Koenma looked surprised.

"The wolves in the forest gather a lot of information, Koenma. We need to be aware of what surrounds us, that is how we protect ourselves," explained San.

Koenma nodded, "Very well. I need you, Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara to be ready for when this demon attacks."

"What about the rest of us?" asked Mitarai.

"Damage control. You are nowhere near powerful enough to handle a demon like this. But the city needs to be protected as well. The gate needs to be guarded."

It didn't seem that the humans like their particular job, but they nodded anyway. San stared at Koenma suspiciously. There was something he wasn't telling them, and she wasn't sure how exactly to approach the subject. This sense of impending doom was really getting to her, and she didn't feel she was willing to be lead around blindly by the nose by Reikai idiots. But they had been taking orders from Koenma for a while, and so far they seemed to be doing fine. On top of that, the four of them were some of the most powerful demons ever. Put together with the unlimited power of reiki that Kuwabara possessed, this shouldn't be so hard. So why this bad feeling?

...

Another month of constant rain, and San got a huge surprise. The sun had come out for the day. Her spirits lifting, she went outside, not caring that her bare feet got wet. Her mate was at her side, and then, they began to run. This freedom, she hadn't felt it in a while, and wished that the rain would be gone. She ran for hours, knowing that this was a small break. The rain would be back, she could smell it in the air.

When they returned to the temple, they saw the others enjoying the outside as well. It seemed that they really needed this, the weather really getting to all of them. Another little surprise waited for them as well. Jin, Touya, Chu, Rinku, Suzuka and Shishiwakamaru were there. But not just them, Kenji, the messenger for Ozora had also come. San knew it was only a matter of time before they all had to get back to business, but for now, the time of play was about.

Kurama and San greeted their friends, and Kenji took her aside to catch up on everything. San dismissed it, however, not wanting to ruin the feeling of freedom too soon. The weather had other feelings about that. Droplets of water started to reach her cheeks, and a giant unifying groan was heard from the occupants of the temple. San smiled sadly, watching everyone go inside, wishing that this could have lasted longer. One thing was for certain though, with this rain still here, the threat was still about and nothing had changed thus far. San took Kenji into the dojo with her, Kurama and the other demons following, as well as Kuwabara. Once inside, Kenji bowed, saluting her.

"Your Majesty," he spoke, "I bring news from Regent Ozora."

San rolled her eyes, wishing that hadn't have been so technical.

"Wait, you're ruling the wolves again?" asked Kuwabara.

"No. Their recently made Regent King decided he didn't want the title. He tried to get me to take over all the crap again and I just made him Regent to deal with it. He has all my responsibilities, by the final word of anything is still my say."

"Sounds like a good way to avoid doing work," Yusuke smirked.

San glared at him, "You would know all about that, wouldn't you? Kenji, what have you found?"

"The reports gathered from our best men show that our enemy is ranked beyond the S class," said the messenger of the wolf clan.

"What?" exclaimed Kuwabara, "How is that even possible?"

"Aye. It be a might difficult to work us up to that power, that's for sure," said Jin.

"His name is Hiroki, and his goal is to rule all three worlds," Kenji continued, "He doesn't have very many followers, but we know he resides here in the Ningenkai. It's actually not too far from this location."

Now that was a surprise. San didn't think he would stay here in this world.

"Well, that just makes it easier for us to go and deal with," said Yusuke.

"If the demon is as powerful as this wolf says, it will take all of our strength to defeat him," said Touya.

"Right, let's show 'em a thing or two, eh," said Chu, taking a drink.

"It would be unwise to charge in there without first finding out more about this location," said Kurama.

"It's a good point," said Koenma, walking into the dojo with Genkai.

"Dimwit, you should have learned by now not to go in without knowing your enemy," said Genkai.

"Relax. I'm sure we can figure this out before it turns ugly," said Yusuke.

"I can scout with Hiei," said San. The fire apparition nodded at her once, "Kenji, do you know the exact location?"

The messenger nodded, "Yes. Permission to speak freely, my Queen."

"Speak."

"I can scout with you. I know the terrain well and have had much experience in the field. From the sounds of it, we'll need all the help we can get."

"Agreed. The three of us will scout, the rest of you hide and hide well. If this demon is as powerful as he claims to be, then we don't want to be caught separated."

"When do we attack?" asked Kuwabara.

"Tomorrow, we'll begin. Once we figure out everything we need to, we'll attack the best way possible," said San, her eyes never leaving her mate's. He nodded at her, knowing that there wasn't anything else they could do at the moment. With nothing else to be said, the others began to leave the dojo.

...

San walked into her garden under the tarp. She knew it was night time now, and she knew that she had a long day ahead of her. Her mate wasn't present, but he was somewhere in the temple. She liked having him here, it gave her a sort of strength she hadn't been feeling since the eclipse. It felt like no matter what was happening, they would be okay.

She tended to her garden, putting the tarp back up. The sun was nice, some of the plants needed it. But there was just too much water. Besides, it was nice to know she could be outside without getting wet, even though it only smelled of rain. Her lamp weeds lit up the path she needed to walk on, and she made sure she could see everything around her. It was peaceful here, despite the sound of the rain on the tarp. She made her own chair, staring at her sacred dragonite tree. She could feel its power, Kurama's constant presence really feeding into it.

She heard the door to her room close and smiled. She could smell her shampoo in his hair, and knew that he had gone to shower. She looked and caught his eye. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, and she couldn't exactly look away. Kurama met her gaze, and noted her eyes looked hungry. He walked towards her, not really caring that his feet would get dirty once more. She followed his movements, that same unblinking stare upon him. She was the luckiest wolf alive to have such a wonderful creature all to herself.

Kurama stood before her, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. She stood from her spot, already out of breath. He let go of her hand, and trailed his lightly up to her shoulder, her neck, and then he gently grabbed her chin and kissed her fiercely. San wasn't going to argue with this, and she pulled him close to her, doing away with his towel. It fell to the dirty ground, but neither of them cared. She felt so alive at this moment, and wasted no time in mating with her kitsune.

He was her saviour, the key to her world of utter bliss. He was perfect, legendary, in many more ways than one. His every movement fueled her desire, and his gentle caresses made her feel warm and at peace. He never once had betrayed her, had ever made her feel less than what she was, and never seriously hurt her. He was everything she could ever want in life, and everything she could ever ask for. He had never made her feel unworthy of him, always treated her as his equal. The legendary bandit, her precious kitsune.

She was a goddess, he could never be away from her for too long. Her loyalty was strong and true, and she never failed to keep him smiling. Her movements were graceful, and only attracted him more. Her touch was always soft, and her aroma utterly intoxicating. She had never tried to harm him, never once betrayed him, and never made him feel less than who he was. She was beautiful, truly an exquisite creature, and only for him. She was perfect, everything he could ever want, her equal in every way. The Queen of the Wolf Clan, his beloved ookami.

He looked upon his mark, the one left by him on her shoulder blade. It had begun to fade. He pressed his lips there, kissing it once, before biting into it and restoring it to its fullness. She cried out in eagerness, this night much like the first time they had mated, and he kissed her soon after that. The mark may begin to fade at times, but it would never truly be gone. Their bond was much too strong for that. They laid down together, not bothering to move after leaving their world of pure heaven. Their breathing was hard, but he held her close in his arms.

He was so warm, she could die happy at this moment. He kissed her cheek and she smiled, her fingers finding his and linking together, "So much for a shower," she whispered.

Kurama chuckled. How right she was. They were both lying in the dirt together, completely naked, "I suppose so, koi."

"We should sleep. The rain will slow us down, especially when we need to hide our tracks."

"I'm worried, San. Let me scout with you."

"No, love. I need you here for the others in case something happens."

"If you remember correctly, I was the one that had to show you stealth."

"Yes, and now the pupil has surpassed the master. Aren't you proud of me?" she turned to him, smiling brightly. He laughed, unable to keep himself from doing so.

"Yes koi," he kissed her, "I'm always proud of you."

"Aw. Well isn't that nice."

"Be careful out there. Don't get too close."

"I know. Do you think my power will return soon?"

"I'm not quite sure, San. But we'll do what we can without it. I went a long time before I dropped in on you."

"Yeah I guess. It would make me feel a little more secure though."

"You'll be fine. As you said, we should sleep. There is a long day ahead tomorrow."

"I know. One other thing though."

"Yes koi?"

"Don't try to trail behind me. I know when you do it, you make too much noise."

Kurama chuckled slightly, nodding at her.

...

thanks guys! i'm so sad to know that with every chapter put up, it is closer to the end :(. but thank you so much for reading and to those who reviewed. p.s, did anyone else get that fyi review? have any of you read it? pm me if you know anything about it. until next time, love you!


	68. Hiroki Revealed

The next morning, San took off with Hiei and Kenji. They followed the young wolf far from the temple, San keeping a mental contact open with Kurama. The others were trailing behind, but Kenji had already worked out a good place to have them sit. They would split up in three groups, staying close to a particular demon. Kenji would signal if needed, and Hiei could make a quick get away. San was good as masking her energy, and chose the form of a white wolf to make sure she had no scent.

She knew Kurama was worried, but she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to get a chance to know her enemy. There wasn't a chance in hell that she would pass up having the upper hand. She ran at demon speed, knowing that Hiei and Kenji were at her either side, just much farther apart. She saw the ravine described to her, and turned east. If Kenji had it right, she would come up to a cave any time soon. She could smell demon, which was surprising since it was still raining quite hard out. She could smell something burning, and then halted her speed.

She got low on the ground and crept forward. As she got closer, she could hear voices. She had no idea who they were, but she wasn't about to give away her position. Getting within ear shot, which may look far as a wolf, she stopped her movements, and tried to listen to their conversation.

"...to make sure that we aren't seen," said one of the demons.

"Those idiots don't even know what's going on," scoffed the other demon.

"It's Urameshi's team. You do know who that consists of, right?"

"If they're so great, we wouldn't even had made it this far."

"They have Youko Kurama."

"The bandit has been quite soft since his escape to this pathetic world."

"Not when it comes to his mate. Have you seen him with her?"

"No, what's he like?"

"He'll kill anything that even thinks about her the wrong way. He's very possessive over her."

"Then why does the master want her dead?"

"Nobody knows. But the thought of her terrifies him."

"I wouldn't be so scared of some failed wolf."

"You're an idiot. She has the power of dark and light."

"This true?"

"Of course it is. You really ought to do your homework."

"I don't give a shit about it. I just want to get paid."

"Do you even know why were out here?"

"Not particularly. I heard something about a false trail."

"We're on guard duty. The master knows that Urameshi and his team are going to eventually find this place, and we have to make sure that we kill the wolf before she gets near us."

San had heard enough. She didn't know why she was so special, but these two demons were done. Creeping closer, she waited for the right moment, and then lunged at one of them, taking off his head. She shuddered with pleasure as she looked at the other one, her muzzle dripping with blood. The other demon turned his back, getting ready to run, and San took out his legs. She could see the fear in his eyes, but that didn't stop her. She bit him once more on his abdomen, letting him scream again. She took of his head after that, efficiently killing him.

Giving another shutter, she licked the blood from her lips and began to dig, effectively putting out their pitiful fire. She then sat on her haunches for a moment, trying to get the blood lust out of her system. It had been so long since she had killed like that, and she didn't want it to become a habit. She howled once, letting the others know she had encountered demons here, and then ran off. She loped for what seemed like hours, her paws barely touching the Earth.

She stopped when she reached the opening of a cave. There were no guards, but it was exactly as Kenji described it. Was this demon so cocky that he felt he didn't need his lair looked out for? She could only assume it was a trap, but she wasn't about to let it go without a look. She crept closer to the opening of the cave, making sure that nothing was around her. It was extremely useful not to have a scent, it took quite a bit of effort to perfect this. Keeping low to the ground, she felt something in her mind. It was familiar and loving, but she couldn't figure out who it was.

-San?- she heard her mate's voice in her head.

-Kurama?- she questioned, wondering how he was able to contact her. Usually she would have to find him first, and then he would just speak in his mind. But he had literally found her and spoke inside of her mind.

-Where are you?-

-I found the opening of the cave. How are you doing this?-

-The necklace you got. I was playing with it while I waited for you. I noticed it's power while I was thinking. It was hard to find you, I did not expect you would pick that form.-

-What an amazing thing.-

-I suppose so. Are you alone?-

-Yes. I'm about to enter the cave to see what's there. I'll let you know if we should attack or not when I get back out.-

-Be careful, koi.-

-Always.- but his voice was gone. San got up on her paws and stepped quietly into the cave. It was dark, but her eyes adjusted easily. She felt right at home in a cave, and navigated her way swiftly until she finally caught a scent. It was one she didn't recognize, and it was only one. She could see a light, thinking of how cliche that was, but followed the cavern toward it anyway.

Keeping to the darkness, she came to where the light began. She made sure to stay out of sight, and then she laid her tawny eyes on the enemy. He wasn't very big, with long white hair, and wearing nothing but black. San couldn't see a weapon, but she could feel his power, and it took a lot of effort not to turn tail and risk making noise. It would take a lot for this demon to go down, but she knew that to take him on now by herself would be foolish.

Going back the way she came, she tried to figure out how to get the others there and inside without making any noise. The demon was just sitting there, looking like he was waiting for something. San didn't know what to think really, but she wasn't going sit around and find out. She finally found her way out of the cave, and then ran as fast as she could. There was no chance of locating the others with her nose. It was a good thing that they made a randevous point.

It wasn't too far away, and she wasn't sure if any of the others would be there yet. She was sure that Hiei had already scouted around, and Kenji would be heading towards it as well. She used her demon speed, and then she saw a few figures standing in the woods, and the red hair of her mate. When she arrived to the spot, she looked to see that everyone was there waiting for her. Good, they could figure it out together. She stood beside her mate, and then changed into her human form.

"What happened?" asked Kurama, taking her had.

"Nothing. It's Hiroki, and he's the only one in the cave. There's no guards or anything around it. I only encountered two demons being used as a distraction on my way there," explained San.

"I found nothing on my side of the journey," Kenji reported.

"There was nothing around my side either. Though I did stop and clean up your mess," said Hiei.

"Mess?" Kurama inquired.

"I didn't like the way they spoke of us, so I killed them," said San simply, "Anyway. We should be able to make it to the cave without much interruption. We'll have to tread carefully inside, the caverns echo pretty loud."

"It would probably be best if you five went in, and the rest of us guard the cave," said Touya.

"For sure. Hiei and I will scout. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama will follow behind us. Kenji, you scout for this group. Jin, try and get a bird's eye view. Don't come into the cave unless absolutely necessary. There should be enough of you that we won't have to worry about a two way attack," commanded San. They agreed, going to take their positions.

San and Hiei took off at demon speed, keeping an eye out for any hostility ahead of them. Just as before, they encountered nothing, reaching the mouth of the cave quickly. They waited for the others to catch up to them, making sure that nothing was around. San created her mori kouba, keeping it at the ready once they had entered the cave.

"This place gives me the creeps," said Kuwabara.

"That's good, it means our enemy hasn't gone anywhere," said San, leading the way.

"I can't believe that this is so easy," mused Yusuke.

"Hn. Either that or this Hiroki is a fool," said Hiei.

"Remember to keep your voices down. The caverns will echo," said Kurama.

They walked in silence after that, San wishing that the humans of the group knew how to not step so loudly. It didn't matter, there as no way this demon didn't know that they were in the cave. Kurama walked beside her, feeling more secure as he did so. She knew where she was going, but Kurama didn't want any surprises along the way.

"What is that smell?" asked Kuwabara.

"Smells like... wet dog," said Yusuke.

"Well I'd like to see how good you smell after being covered in fur and running the rain for hours," said San dangerously. She didn't look back, but she was sure the boys knew what kind of look was on her face. She stopped then, holding her hand out. They all stopped too, looking around for anything that could be there.

"Do you hear that?" Kurama barely spoke to her.

"Our demon is laughing," said Hiei.

"You fools. Did you really think you could sneak up on me?" the sound of Hiroki's voice made the whole cavern shake. Kurama took a protective stance in front of San, and then they heard a loud growl.

"Why don't you show your face and fight us!" yelled Kuwabara.

"I'd thought you'd never ask," said Hiroki. He walked out in front of them, his white hair finally out of his face. San gasped, seeing many scars on his face. He was burned through his life, it was the mark of something very sacred, and very old. He powered up, and it blew them away, literally.

Getting up to his feet, Yusuke was the first to attack. He ran at his enemy, probably going for his rapid punches. It wasn't any use, Hiroki simply pushed him back with nothing but a finger. Hiei was next, unsheathing his sword and utilizing his speed. The blade broke once it reached the demon's skin, and a gut wrenching punch for Hiei sent him away. Kuwabara went to attack with his spirit sword, but a simple push of energy knocked him out of the way. Kurama and San went together, she with her mori kouba and he with his rose whip. She distracted him with her weapon, while Kurama went in for the attack, but to no avail. Hiroki simply sliced the whip with the double bladed lance and then sent the wolf straight to the fox.

Yusuke was back up, firing his spirit gun. Hiroki moved so that it hit Kuwabara, but was unable to dodge Hiei's fist of the mortal flame. San stood out of her mate's arms to see her enemy fly back into the wall of the cave, and then the top of it collapse on him.

"Did we win?" asked Kuwabara, getting up.

"Doubt it," said San. She was right. Hiroki was standing there, good as new it looked.

"I think we've exhausted this for fighting. Let's make it bigger," he spoke, charging up his demon energy. The ground beneath them began to shake, as they all stared in horror at what was happening. Hiroki began to grow and expand, and just his energy alone was making the cave crumble.

"We have to get out of here!" yelled Kurama, grabbing San and leading the way out of the cave. Dirt fell from the top, and it blocked their way.

"We're trapped!" yelled Kuwabara. Hiroki was still powering up, and they had no idea what they could do. Taking cover, they waited until they could actually feel the rain from outside. At least then, they didn't have to worry about being buried in the rubble. San's eyes were wide by the time Hiroki was done. He was at least three times his normal size, and his power grew with him. What could they do now?

"Uh, guys. I don't think that's good..." trailed Kuwabara.

"His body and power have expanded beyond our abilities," said Kurama.

"I've never seen anything like it," said San.

"Hn. Well that's not going to stop me from fighting," said Hiei, beginning to take off his bandages.

"Let's get 'im!" yelled Yusuke, firing double spirit/demon shots. San saw her chance, and following Hiei's dragon, she threw her weapon straight into Hiroki's eye. The demon screamed, and just the sound of his voice made her fly to the ground. Kurama was there, he was always there, and then he went in for the attack. He was also thrown back by Hiroki. He was just too powerful.

"What can we do?" asked Kuwabara.

"I really don't know," said San. None of them could have accounted for this. How did this demon become so strong in the first place? She saw Hiroki's arm way too close to the ground from where he was standing, "Brace yourselves!" she screamed to them, as the rain was howling with her voice. Kurama grabbed her, pulling her close just as Hiroki made contact with them. The last thing she remembered seeing was Yusuke flying away from them, and Hiroki shrinking far off in the distance.

She couldn't take it anymore, that blow really hurting her. She had noticed that Kurama was out, completely limp as they continued to fly through the rain. San held onto him as tight as she could, succumbing to the darkness once they had hit the hard, solid Earth.


	69. Foresight

Hey guys, thanks for joining me in the next chapter. So I was re-reading this story and noticed a couple of mess ups with a couple minor character names. These have been fixed, so it all finally makes sense, to anyone who noticed. As for the common errors, I'll be going over those after the final chapter. Thanks again for reading and your wonderful comments, and don't forget, once this story is over, the Kurama and San tale shall continue with The Key.

...

When San awoke on the muddy, wet, forest floor, ever fiber of her being was in agony. She could barely bring herself to move, and she tried hard to remember what had happened to put her in such a state. Her head hurt just trying to think about the previous events. She was scouting, and then she met Hiroki. His power, it was unbelievable. How were they expected to defeat him? What happened to the others? She tried to force herself to get up, but couldn't bring herself to move. Groaning in pain, she pushed herself at least to her elbows, lifting her head that felt very heavy. She did her best to ignore the pain from moving her head, and looked around her.

She saw her mate beside her, blood running down his face. She could tell he was breathing, so that was at least a good sign. She rolled over, supporting herself with one elbow. She brought the other hand over to him, using her sleeve to wipe the blood away. She shook him slightly, her strength completely non existent.

"Kurama," she spoke weakly, trying to get his attention, "Kurama please wake up."

He grunted, stirring. San breathed a sigh of relief, "San? What happened?"

"We just got the shit kicked out of us," said San, falling back to the ground. She didn't want to move, and found it a great challenge just to keep her eyes open.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He hadn't moved either.

"No. I'm dying."

"I understand. This Hiroki has immense power."

"Yeah."

"We should consider ourselves lucky that we have not perished."

"At this point, I wish he did kill me."

Kurama chuckled lightly, forcing himself to get up. He was in a lot of pain, his body protesting his every movement. San saw him above her, and noted how heavy he looked, carrying himself the way he did. San tried to lift her arm, feeling as if gravity had increased so much, "We need to get up koi, and find the others."

"It's so hard..." she trailed, her voice barely there.

"I know," he said softly, kissing her, "but lying here in the rain will not help us recover. We should head for the temple, and see who made it back there. Once we've recovered, we'll go in search of those who have not yet returned."

"Why can't they just come find us?"

"You know better, San. Now come," he commanded. San groaned, forcing herself to get up again. Kurama helped her as best as he could, but even his strength was limited. The two of them actually made it to their feet, and relied solely on each other to keep themselves there. San's head hurt so badly, and it felt like there was so much weight to it. Her body screamed, but she pressed on as best as she could. They didn't get far before they stopped completely.

"We can't go on," she told him, falling to the ground.

"No. Do you have any power left at all?" he asked, falling with her. He took her in his arms, trying to shield her from the weather.

"I'm not sure."

"We need to keep the rain from getting to us."

"Yeah. I'll try," and she summoned up as much power as she could. The best she could do a half cover of vines and leaves. She knew it was night, and the wind was picking up, "I have nothing more," she told him weakly. He raised one of his hands, and completed the temporary den. At least they would get a chance to dry off this way, and not worry about sleeping in the rain. They could hear thunder roaring outside, and San breathed a sigh of relief.

He held her close, trying to keep himself awake. He didn't want his enemy sneaking up on him, not in this state. He kissed her head, knowing she was dozing. She felt so cold, but she would warm up soon enough. He wondered what had happened to the others, hoping that none of them had died. The last thing he could remember was Hiroki attacking them, and then Kurama had grabbed San. He awoke when she had gotten him up. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei... Wait, that was something he didn't think of. He looked at the sleeping girl in his arms, shaking her slightly.

"San," he spoke gently, "Wake up koi."

"What?"

"Can you try contacting Hiei?"

She blinked, "What?" she asked again, more alert this time. Kurama noticed that her bottom lip shivered slightly.

"Try finding Hiei. See if he's alive and knows where anyone is, or even where we are."

"Oh yeah," she agreed, and then closed her tawny eyes. Kurama waited quietly, not wanting to interrupt her. He was hoping she could get through, they would at least be able to have some sort of back up. Moments later, she opened up her eyes again, and shook her head sadly, "I can't find him. Doesn't mean that he's dead, just mean's he's either unconscious or something is blocking me."

"Understood. Get some sleep now, and we can try again tomorrow."

"What about you?"

"Do not worry, San. With you're strength returned, you will be able to heal me, and then we can make it to the temple to recover properly. Hopefully the others will be there as well."

San nodded, but it was obvious something was troubling her, "How can we beat Hiroki?"

"I'm not quite sure, San. We've never faced such a powerful foe before."

"We have to figure something out, we can't let him rule us. He wants me dead."

"How do you know this?"

"I heard some lower level guards talking. They said he fears me, and wants me dead."

"They knew you?"

"Yes. They feared your rage as well, which is why I'm still alive really."

San saw his green orbs harden. She felt his hold on her tighten, "I won't let anything happen to you," he promised. She nodded, kissing him and then going to listen to his heart beat. She fell asleep instantly.

Kurama sat awake, trying to pick up something over the raging storm. It was lucky that San had gained consciousness early enough, or else they would probably be left for dead in this weather. He could see the lightning through a bit of gaps, knowing it lit up the whole sky. He sighed, listening to San's rhythmic breathing. What could they do against Hiroki? It was almost like the time Sensui had revealed his sacred energy. They had felt so hopeless, but still they fought. This was energy beyond that, and Kurama didn't even know it was possible.

He looked down at his mate, wiping some blood from her face. She had to be weak, she didn't even flinch when he touched her. Usually, she would, and tell him that whatever he was doing was irritating. He smiled at the memories fondly, holding her tighter to him. At least he wasn't separated from her after that blow, he wasn't sure he'd be able to find her. His mind was going over all the information they had gathered, but none of it could have prepared them for the impact this demon had.

The storm was dying down, and Kurama could see some light coming, peeking through. He smelled something then, something familiar. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he kept his guard up. His eyes hardened when he saw the enclosure he had made start to disappear. Holding San closer, he was getting ready to fight whoever happened to be there.

What he was not expecting was Yayoi. She stood with her hand out, her raven hair drenched from the rain. She looked curiously at Kurama, and then at San.

"She alright?" asked Yayoi.

"She's exhausted. The fact that she didn't even wake up with your presence so near tells me that," answered Kurama with a soft voice. If Yayoi was here to hurt them, then they would already be dead.

"Sniper told me about your little get togethers. You guys are lucky to be alive right now. You're quite far from the temple. Need some help?"

"It would be greatly appreciated."

"Not a problem. I owe our Majesty my life anyway."

"I take it you recovered from Ryo's mind torture?"

She nodded, "Yes. It was hard to accept at first. I really believed everything he had put into my head."

"That doesn't surprise me. He was a very powerful psychic."

"I returned to the clan, to check in on what was going on. I was very surprised to hear about Moriko taking the throne again."

"Not exactly. She's only Queen in technicality. Ozora didn't want the position after Natsuko's death. San simply made him regent to deal with it."

Yayoi laughed, administering the herbs she had compiled to help with their wounds, "She's sneaky. I remember when she was the leader of the military. She was so ruthless and cunning. You were lucky to break into our realm when you did, she was just crowned Queen."

Kurama smiled, "She probably would have caught and killed me if I waited any longer."

"You wouldn't stand a chance. Sorry about your friend though. I remember that day, she really didn't want to kill him."

"We are all compelled by necessity," he quoted his mate.

"It's true. I wouldn't be here if I didn't do what was necessary for my survival," agreed Yayoi. She finished her healing process, and the stood before them, "Better?"

Kurama could no longer feel pain. He was still weak, but at least they would be able to make it to the temple. San was still asleep, and he wasn't about to wake her. Gathering her up in his arms, he nodded at Yayoi. The two of them began their trek back to the temple. Kurama didn't know how far away they were, he wasn't as acquainted with the forest like his mate.

"How did you find us?" asked Kurama.

"I wasn't really looking for you to be honest. But when I saw a random pile of vines and leaves, I knew it could only be something the two of you cooked up. I ran into Sniper near the gate. I was just trying to get some things off my mind, maybe find a new mate. Something like what you two have, I'm done just going to survive. Sniper asked me to bring a message to the temple, and explained to me why there was so much chaos over here. I guess it's been raining for a few months right?"

Kurama nodded, "About five months now. We've only had one day without."

"That can't be good. I also ran into a pack of some very hungry wolves. The pack leader's mate was talking about Moriko bringing them food and how she hadn't for a couple days. I gave them something on her behalf though. That bitch really has it out for the Queen though. I'd keep an eye out for her."

"She has been."

"Good," Yayoi approved, "Anyway, Sniper wanted Genkai and the others to know that Yomi has started to mobilize. He's caught wind of what was happening here and wanted to send you guys some back up."

"She didn't want any help from him unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Well after this crap, I think you might need it."

"We'll see. I know that we won't be able to make another plan without San. She's more skilled at this than I am. She taught me everything I know, but ultimately, she should make the decision."

"She is a natural born leader."

"True."

"Well, I will fight with you. After everything I went through with Ryo and now this crap, what have I got to lose?"

"Your life, Yayoi."

"Put it this way. If I go down from this battle, at least I'll have made something of myself."

Kurama smiled almost sadly. This wolf was so alone, her whole family murdered. She was much like his mate in that sense. They were alone in the world, gone from everything they knew. They both took different paths. San ended up with him, Yayoi with nothing. It was a cruel fate they faced, but he believed everyone got what they deserved, when they were ready for it.

...

San felt trapped. She could see herself with her mate, lying in their temporary den to get out of the rain. The sound of his heart beat was so rhythmic and soothing, putting her right to sleep. The problem was, she couldn't get up. She knew that she was asleep, but she could not find a way to wake up.

"Moriko, why must we continue to meet like this?" asked a strange and familiar voice. She turned, her eyes widening.

"Akatsuki!" she exclaimed, running towards her brother.

"Sister, you must stop falling in the darkness."

"I feel so weak."

"You will recover. You'll probably wake up with your mate back at the temple."

"I hope so. After that, I have to find a way to defeat our new enemy."

"Have you heard of the Reikai Yogen?"

"The ancient prophecy? Of course!"

"It's instruments are coming into play. It all started with the eclipse."

"So this is all happening to finally complete it?"

"Exactly. I know you can win, Moriko. I know you won't let everything die."

"What does Hiroki want?"

"To conquer. His power is greater than yours, but you have the power to defeat him within you."

"Why does he so desperately want to rule?"

"It's all he knows. I can't tell you much, Moriko, I'm not alive to know. My only purpose is to give you something you lost, something I'm sure you need to figure out your purpose."

"What's that?"

"Your power to see," he spoke, placing a hand on either side of her head.

San went frigid, her head ready to explode. It was as if every moment of her life was playing super fast inside of her mind. She saw it all so vividly, even though it was going by with great haste. Finally, it got to the moment she was in now, and she saw a blinding white light. She was having a vision.

She stood there, Hiroki behind her. They were speaking, but she could not hear a thing. They fought, just the two of them. The others had arrived. She saw her mate in his true form, defending her. He summoned power beyond her belief, and then it all went to her. She used it to defeat her enemy, and then, she was no more. The last thing she saw was her mate's face, completely contorted in anguish.

She is taken out of the vision at this time. She shakes her head, looking at her younger brother. He knows her fate, she can tell.

"It seems I'll be joining you soon," she tells him, smiling sadly.

"Not quite. You still have a lot to do," said Akatsuki.

She shook her head, "No. I saw the vision, brother. I died."

"I know when you die, Moriko. You have a lot of time to go. You haven't even reached half your life yet."

She looked at him sharply, "But then...?"

Akatsuki put a hand up, "It will all become clear to you. Now go, it's time to face your destiny."

"I wish you could come with me."

"As do I, but it is not my place. Be well, Moriko."

San shed a tear as she watched him fade. She missed her brother so much. It had been years since she had last seen him in the flesh, and she knew that it would be another life time before she would get that chance again. She was happy though, he always seemed to be helping her in her times of need, almost making it like he wasn't really gone.

Just as her brother predicted, she woke up in her room. Her mate was there, sleeping soundly. She could feel his power, and knew that he was healing. She must have been out for a few days. She smiled down at her mate's sleeping form, leaning to kiss his cheek. She sat up, and the pain in her body no longer remained. She had been healed, and recovered her energy nicely. Never again would she allow herself to feel to drained and dead.

Speaking of death, her vision came into her mind. She had her power again, but at what cost? She sighed, looking down at her mate once more. She would hate to leave him, knew she should probably tell him. But he would try and stop her, and then he could be the one to die instead of her. She didn't want that. There was no way out of this that would make them both happy. She did know one thing though, she had to go and see Koenma, and she had to do it soon.

The longer she put this off, the longer the chance ran of altering the vision. If this was the only way to stop Hiroki, then so be it. Her brother assured her she wouldn't die, but even so, she had to do whatever was necessary. She shed a tear, grabbing her mate's warm hand. He squeezed it, opening his green eyes too look at hers. He smiled, but the look on his face was curious. He wiped the one tear she had, his eyes questioning.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, sitting up with her.

"Yes," she lied. She couldn't bring herself to tell him of her vision.

"Why this sorrow?"

"I saw my brother," she knew that was probably the safest thing she could say. It would explain her emotions, and keep him off her case. He was so nosy, but she knew she was bad for not telling him anything.

"I'm sorry, San."

She shook her head, "It's not your fault. It was good to see him. But life goes on, and I'll get nowhere living in the past."

"Yes, koi."

"How long was I out?"

"Just a couple days. Yayoi saved us."

"Really? Definitely wasn't expecting that."

"Nor was I. She will fight with us."

"Great," just another life to worry about. She leaned her head on her mate's, sighing to herself.

"We should sleep, San. We'll meet tomorrow to discuss our plan of action," it was a command. She nodded, settling back in bed and just staring into the darkness. She knew her mate wouldn't sleep unless he felt secure. So she turned to him, smiling with mischief in her tawny eyes. She kissed him then, fully intent of putting him to sleep.

...

lovely little surprise after the black out. Thanks for reading and the lovely reviews :)


	70. Fate's Choice

"What's the status on Hiroki?" asked Koenma. He came to the temple maybe a week after San had woken up. It took a while, but slowly, the others were filtering back and staying put. They wanted a head count before they decided to mount another attack. San, Hiei, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai, Kurama, and of course, Koenma, were meeting in the dojo. The other demons had gone off to do some damage control.

In the past few days, the rain was causing some serious devastation to the city. It was more than the humans could handle, so the other demons were sent out to help with it. The old team had some bang ups and bruises, but they were ready for another fight with the creature that threatened their lives. San had been eyeing Koenma since he arrived, and she noted that he avoided her tawny gaze. He must know what was going on, or else he wouldn't be this keen on not looking at her.

"He's been terrorizing the humans in the city. He can spawn demons with the blink of an eye," said Genkai.

"That's not all," began Kurama, "The power her uses, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. He could easily wipe us out with little to no effort."

"It's not time to give up hope!" said Kuwabara.

"Facing reality and giving up hope are two different things," said San.

"We've faced sacred energy. I'm sure we can take down this punk," said Yusuke.

"You really don't get it do you?" said Genkai, looking at her successor, "He nearly wiped you out with just a small fraction of his power. He could have killed you, but instead he warned you by pushing you away."

"So what do you want us to do? Give up?"

"No, simply find a way to take away his power."

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" asked Kuwabara.

Everyone was silent then. No one knew the answer, knew anything about him to really figure it out. San sighed lightly, her mate looking in deep thought. Yusuke and Kuwabara simply looked pissed off. The dire situation had no light to it, and finding a way to solve it really seemed impossible. San had the answer, but she didn't want to share that particular information.

"It appears there is not much more we can do tonight. If we get more information, we shall reconvene to discuss our options," said Kurama, grabbing San's hand and leaving the room. She wished he hadn't done that, she wanted a chance to speak with Koenma. The rain could be heard along the temple, and her mate led them back to her room.

He turned to face her then, his eyes serious. San was actually scared of what he was going to say. She knew it had to be something, or else he wouldn't have abruptly taken them out of there so fast. She tried searching his eyes for an answer, but he wasn't going to give it to her just yet. He held her gaze, and she began to feel nervous.

"What do you know, San?" he asked then.

She frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You've been staring at Koenma all day. I know you have something on your mind, something you have not bothered to discuss with me. I've asked you not to keep things from me, San. So tell me, what do you know?"

She stood her ground, but had no idea what to say to him. She had to think of something, and fast, "I don't know what you're talking about. I've been staring at Koenma to see if he was keeping information from us again. He did it when we battled Sensui, and I don't things to go that way again."

Kurama kept his stare on her. She knew that he was searching for the truth, and she had to keep it from him, as much as she hated to do it. She couldn't tell him anything before she knew for sure what she suspected. Finally, he nodded, pulling her towards him. They sat like that for a while, San doing whatever she could to keep the tears away. If she started crying then, he would know she was lying, and she couldn't have that.

...

Kurama slept peacefully it looked like, while San was wide awake. The sound of the rain outside filled her ears, as well as her lover's rhythmic breaths. Her vision played out in her mind, and again she wondered what it really meant. If only there was a way for her to figure it all out. It seemed that this was the way it always was whenever she had a vision. Lately, it had been her life over the others, and she would gladly sacrifice herself.

She looked down at her sleeping mate. She wondered how he was able to do it, but then, she suspected it had something to do with her presence. She kissed his cheek, getting up slowly. She smiled once at him, and then proceeded out the door. It didn't take her long to find Koenma. When she reached the dojo, it looked as if he was waiting for her. Her tawny eyes were hard, but he was still calm, and remained in his teenage form.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," he spoke. San shut the door and walked towards him.

"So you do know," she confirmed her suspicions.

"That depends. What did you want from me?"

"The truth. I know of the prophecy, Koenma. I know my vision states that I have the power to stop Hiroki."

"Yes. I was waiting for you to realize it. I didn't want to announce anything prematurely."

"There's more to it, however. Now tell me."

Koenma sighed, "You're not the only one who can stop him. Kurama has the power within, but if he uses it, he will die. There is no way to bring him back from the devastation he'll cause. Hiroki will devour his soul, and the explosion caused with kill the rest of you. In the end, you'll get your desired effect, just no one to fight."

"And if I take the power from him?"

"You'll become stronger. You won't be able to kill him, but you will be able to stop him."

"But I will die."

"Not exactly. I can't say for sure what will happen to you. But I know that if you do this, you will be back at some point. Hiroki will be stopped, but for a short period of time."

"And why didn't you tell us?"

"Youko's protective of you. If he knew that you would die in the process, he would struggle to find another way to work with it. If he managed to figure one out, which wouldn't happen, Hiroki would probably be ruling by then. His first order of business would be to kill the two of you."

"So he does know what can happen to him?"

Koenma nodded.

"How will he know about the power stored to stop this demon?"

"The emotions he keeps so in check will have to be released. Once that happens, there will be no limit to his power. I'm sure from Genkai's ability to borrow the power, you can easily take it from him."

"Yeah. That was one of the first things I learned from her."

"It was no accident that you landed here. Without the demon hunter, neither of you would be powerful enough to stop this threat."

"Perhaps. But we were once A class demons."

"Without any contact from Ningenkai. You have reached the point where you are ranked one of the highest S class demons around. You could probably win the next tournament if you really wanted it. But you are not interested in things like that, you prefer to be free. This battle will enable that."

"For a short time. You said I cannot kill him."

"No. You will fight again, but you may actually be able to kill him the second time."

San sighed, "So it's my life for the world, or my mate's for pure destruction."

Koenma put a hand on her shoulder, "You will be rewarded some day, San. I can guarantee that."

"I suppose. I better get going."

"You're not going to face him alone?!"

"I have no choice. You said his emotions will wake up his power. The only way to do that is to make him angry, and that means challenging Hiroki by myself. It won't take him long to realize I'm in danger. I can survive enough to get him there, don't worry."

"But-"

"You just said yourself this is the way it has to be. It's my choice, and I chose life. See you in Rekai," she smirked. She took off at demon speed, long before Koenma had a chance to say anything. He wished there was another way, but he knew that the prophecy had to be fulfilled.

...

San knew where Hiroki was. It wasn't a case of trying to find him, she could just feel him. She teared a little, not knowing how to deal with her emotions. She didn't want everyone to die, but she wasn't ready either. She didn't have choice, she couldn't let the others go because of some selfish decision. How could she manage that?

So here she was, running to her death. She figured her mate would be awake by now, wondering where she had gone. The minute he felt pain, he would be trailing her. She just hoped she had enough in her to survive long enough for him to get here. She saw her prey dead ahead. His cold eyes never left the site of her. He was regular size, unlike when she had last seen him. He flared up his power, and San nearly coward. She pressed on, however, knowing that there wasn't any choice left. She stopped in front of her enemy, tawny eyes defiant.

"And so, as foretold, we meet, your Majesty," said Hiroki, smiling slightly.

"It appears so. Are you prepared to die?" replied San, masking her fear.

"I should be asking you that. You do not have the power to stop me."

"So you think. Like it or not, Hiroki, you will die, and it will be by my hand."

Hiroki laughed then, "We shall see. Come get me if you can, Majesty, for I hold your pathetic life in my hands."

"So be it," she told him, summoning her mouri kouba and preparing for battle with this beast.

...

Kurama awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily, a cold sweat occupying his body and his heart hammering in his chest. He looked next to him and noticed San had vacated. That meant it wasn't just a dream, she had really gone to face Hiroki on her own. He banged his fists on the bed. She did know something she wasn't telling him. This meant that she was probably going to sacrifice herself to save them all. She should have told him, they could have figured something else out.

Jumping out of her bed and finding clothes, he dashed out of her room, in search of Hiei, Kuwabara and Yusuke. It wasn't hard, they were already standing outside the temple, with Genkai. They could see a white light coming from the forest, from where they had last battled with the demon. Kurama stared in horror, and then he felt it. Her pain, it was coursing through her body. He dropped to his knees, knowing if he felt this bad, she was much worse off.

"Guys, what is that?" asked Kuwabara.

"Hn. San has gone off to face our enemy," replied Hiei.

"Alone?" exclaimed Yusuke in horror.

"It appears so," said Kurama a little weakly. He got back to his feet, "She must know how to stop his power, or else she wouldn't have gone off on her own."

"If she knows something, it means she had a vision. Her power is back and it showed her the way. If she neglected to tell us anything of it, then it means she is willing to die," said Genkai.

"What? We can't let her do that!" yelled Kuwabara.

"That's right. Let's go," said Yusuke, looking at his team. Genkai was the first one to take a step, "Hold it Grandma, you don't have nearly enough power to compete with us."

The old woman looked as if she were going to scold her successor, but instead kept her mouth shut. She looked at Kurama then, "Bring her back alive," she told him. Kurama nodded, and then took off in front of the others. Hiei followed suit, and then Yusuke.

"Hey guys, wait for me!" called Kuwabara, running after them. Genkai watched after them, until she could no longer see them in the forest. She wished she had the power to help, but knew that they were the only ones who could pull this off.

...

San felt weak already. She was in pain, and she knew that this was barely any of Hiroki's power. She just had to stall, had to wait until the others got there. She would be fine once her mate's power combined with her own. She attacked again, summoning her vines of destiny. They proved useless, barely being able to touch him. She unleashed one of her pralla seeds, creating a net around him to seal in his power. The problem with that, the net's capacity depended solely on the user, and he was easily able to break free.

Finally giving up on her inventory, she stuck to her mouri kouba. The double bladed lance had done more damage than any of her energy, and she swiftly attacked. It wasn't so much that she couldn't hit him, she just couldn't hurt him at all. Even now, as they fought with integrity, she knew she wasn't even making a dent in his energy. He was just too powerful. But she had an almost unlimited store of power, just waiting to be reached. He knocked her back and she went through a few trees. She got to her feet quickly, going to face her enemy.

Hiroki was laughing, "You really do have a death wish, don't you, my Queen?"

"No more than yours. Continue on this route and you will perish," she told him defiantly.

"Your kind is too weak to contend with me. It was fun playing with you Moriko, but I think it's time you die before you get way too ahead of yourself."

Hiroki was about to unleash his attack upon her, but he was stopped buy a ball of demon energy mixed with spirit. It was Yusuke's spirit gun. San smiled, they had finally reached her.

"Did you think she would really sit there and die for you?" yelled Yusuke, coming to stand in front of him. San saw Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama with him. She jumped to where they were, joining them beside her mate.

"What say you now, Hiroki?" asked San.

"Yeah, if you think we're going to back down, guess again punk!" yelled Kuwabara.

Kurama took San's hand, knowing she was feeding off his energy. She was weak, but she hadn't changed into her demon form yet.

"How touching, you'll all die together!" yelled Hiroki, powering up. Hiei was the first to attack. His sword powered with the darkness flame was easily brushed off by their enemy. Yusuke went in for his rapid punches while Kuwabara used his spirit sword to attack the enemy.

Kurama flashed once, changing into his demon form, and summoned his rose whip. Moriko wasn't about to be outdone, utilizing her skills with her mouri kouba. The two attacked together, their combined strength stopping Hiroki from consuming any more power. Yusuke fired another shot, and it managed to knock him back a little. It was followed by the dragon, and Hiroki was thrown back by its power, breaking a few trees himself. Moriko stood with her mate, weapon at the ready. Nothing had moved yet.

"Did we win?" asked Kuwabara.

"It.. looks like it," said Yusuke, not sounding too sure of himself.

The demons remained quiet, keeping their guard up. Moriko's tawny eyes narrowed, and she brushed the rain out of her eyes. She knew her mate had that menacing look on his face, but they all jumped when they heard that hideous laughter. It seemed to grow louder with each passing second, and they were all swept up with the force of the wind. Youko went to grab his mate, but she had just flown out of reach.

"You think you've beaten me?" the booming voice of Hiroki reached their ears while they were uncontrollably being whipped around in the air, "You can't even come close to the power I have!" They were getting higher, and it was becoming harder to breath. Finally they were sent to the ground with such force, Moriko could barely breath. She felt her mate touch her hand, and she looked into his golden eyes. They were glossy, the wind knocked out of him, "You will never come to defeat me! Surrender now while you still can!"

"We will never surrender!" yelled Yusuke.

"Then you will die. Prepare yourselves, vermin, for I am your master now!" and Hiroki appeared before them, just as they were struggling to get up. His power made her want to scream, and his size made her wish she could run away. But that wasn't an option. Even if she managed to get far enough, she was sure by his immense size that he could simple squash her with one step. She rose to her feet slowly, the first one of them up. She wasn't going to quit, even if meant they died. Yusuke joined her, followed by Hiei. Youko was next to get up, and then Kuwabara. Each of them had a purpose in their eyes, a burning desire to save this world. They jumped out of the hole that was created from their drop and looked up at their enemy.

"No matter what you throw at us, we'll still get up!" yelled Kuwabara.

"We will not let you come into power here," said Moriko.

"You will die by us, Hiroki," said Youko.

"I will not be ruled by any demon," said Hiei.

"Get over yourself, Hiroki, cause we're going to kick your ass!" yelled Yusuke. After his words, they all took a fighting stand, preparing themselves for the final battle.


	71. Greatest Desires

"You think you've beaten me?" the booming voice of Hiroki reached their ears while they were uncontrollably being whipped around in the air, "You can't even come close to the power I have!" They were getting higher, and it was becoming harder to breath. Finally they were sent to the ground with such force, Moriko could barely breathe. She felt her mate touch her hand, and she looked into his golden eyes. They were glossy, the wind knocked out of him, "You will never come to defeat me! Surrender now while you still can!"

"We will never surrender!" yelled Yusuke from somewhere on the ground.

"Then you will die. Prepare yourselves, vermin, for I am your master now!" and Hiroki appeared before them, just as they were struggling to get up. His power made her want to scream, and his size made her wish she could run away. But that wasn't an option. Even if she managed to get far enough, she was sure by his immense size that he could simply squash her with one step. She rose to her feet slowly, the first one of them up. She wasn't going to quit, even if meant they died. Yusuke joined her, followed by Hiei. Youko was next to get up, and then Kuwabara. Each of them had a purpose in their eyes, a burning desire to save this world. They jumped out of the hole that was created from their drop and looked up at their enemy.

"No matter what you throw at us, we'll still get up!" yelled Kuwabara.

"We will not let you come into power here," said Moriko.

"You will die by us, Hiroki," said Youko.

"I will not be ruled by any demon," said Hiei.

"Get over yourself, Hiroki, cause we're going to kick your ass!" yelled Yusuke. After his words, they all took a fighting stand, preparing themselves for the final battle.

It started with Hiei once more, the small fire demon summoning his dragon. He powered up to such extremes, Moriko was surprised. Yusuke also had a shot at the ready, waiting for Hiei. Moriko started charging a dark shot, preparing a new attack. Youko wielded his rose whip and prepared for his most recently discovered attack, just as Kuwabara summoned his spirit sword. Moriko thought she would burst at the amount of power she was holding back, waiting for the rest of them to be ready. Hiroki didn't make a move, just stood there with a smirk on his face. Moriko was lifting off the air, the force pushing her up.

"NOW! Spirit Gun!" yelled Yusuke.

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" Hiei was next.

"Death Whip!" said Youko.

"Spirit Sword!" exclaimed Kuwabara.

"Tier of Darkness!" Moriko was last.

Their attacks combined into one, creating a blinding light. The power was so strong, Moriko wondered how anything could survive it. She stood her ground, as the wind from their attack was trying to push her back. She lowered herself to the ground, landing gently beside her mate. His golden eyes were intent on their target, waiting for visibility to clear before making his next move.

When the smoke had finally cleared, they were all quite surprised to see Hiroki standing there before them still. At first glance it appeared he wasn't even touched by their attacks, but Moriko could see his breath was heavier and smell his blood in the air. It wasn't enough, however, and those were their most powerful attacks. They were ready for round two, however, Moriko feeling the power flowing through them. Hiroki wiped blood that dripped from his lip, raising his hand.

"Raibu goshujin shinko iyoku!" bellowed Hiroki. A strange purplish energy began to protrude from his hand, looking almost like smoke. But Moriko was hit with a wave and it made her drop everything, body and mind. She was stuck there, unable to move when the second one hit her. Her last thought was her mate before the third and final wave hit her. Everything started to go white in front of her. Her rage and feelings no longer felt.

...

Her eyes finally began to focus, and she saw someone in front of her. Rubbing her eyes to hopefully be able to see, she was confused when she saw her mate there. His golden eyes were soft, and he smiled at her.

"Youko? What's going on? Where's Hiroki?" she asked, sitting up and looking around.

He frowned slightly at her, "Hiroki? Koishii, that battle ended ages ago."

"What?" how was that possible?

He nodded, "Yes beloved. We are finally free."

"But I-"

"Shh," he put a finger to her lips, pulling her close with his other arm. He used his thumb and forefinger to pull her by the chin and kiss him. She was so overcome with emotion, all conscious thought left her at that point. He was so warm, so perfect, "We have all eternity," he whispered, his lips grazing hers with every word.

She was in a trance, unable to move, "Youko..." she trailed weakly. He only kissed her again, this time with much more force. She moaned slightly, giving into her desires. His scent, so intoxicating, and his touch was driving her wild. Growling lowly, she let him claim her. It full of such passion Moriko thought she would pass out. It felt like eternity, all previous thoughts of doubt far from her mind. He kissed her cheek, and then moved to get dressed.

"Where are we?" she asked, retrieving her clothes.

"Home, beloved," he replied, "Are you alright?"

She blinked, frowning slightly, "Yeah, I... Yes, I'm fine."

He nodded at her, a gentle smile on his face. When he saw that her clothes were on, he opened the door to their room. In ran two pups and two kits, straight to her. Three boys and a girl, three different ages. Moriko gasped, as these children surrounded her. They bore the markings of her and her mate, tawny and silver hair, tawny and golden eyes. Moriko looked up at her mate in utter shock, but he just smiled at her. He walked over, hugging his family, while Moriko stared in wonder at her daughter, and then her sons.

"Mum, grandma won't let us have anything to eat. She said if we didn't hunt we don't get to eat," said her eldest son. He was the spitting image of his father, only his hair had some tawny in it.

"That's right. Every wolf must learn how to hunt, and you are at that age," said a strange voice coming from the hallway out the door. Moriko's breath caught in her throat. Aiko, her mother, stood in the doorway, smiling down at her daughter. Moriko stood slowly, and then flew into her mother's arms. She did everything she could not to tear.

...

Kuwabara woke up in his bed at home. He yelled something incoherent before looking around his bedroom confused. The sun shone in through the window, and that greatly confused him.

"Are you alright Kazuma?" asked Yukina, looking on curiously.

"Yukina? What's going on? What happened to the guy we were fighting?" demanded Kuwabara, flying out of his bed.

Yukina simply laughed, "Oh Kazuma, don't be silly. You must have just had a bad dream.," she took his hands and he stopped what he was doing. He looked down at her confused. She simply kissed him, and his brain turned to complete mush.

"Where's everyone else?" asked Kuwabara.

"They're in the living room, koi, waiting for you," Yukina whispered, leaving him to go out the door. Kuwabara practically pranced after her and saw all of his friends waiting for him. Yusuke and Keiko, Shizuru, Genkai, Kurama and San, Koenma, Botan, and even Hiei were sitting there, looking every so happy to see him. Kuwabara stood with a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey guys!" said Kuwabara excitedly. What a great time, the enemy was defeated and they could all live in peace.

...

Hiei jumped straight up when he realized he was on the ground. He scanned his surroundings seeing he was in a forest, back in his home, the Makai. He knew something was out there, but he couldn't feel anything hostile. Still, he kept his sword arm at the ready, just in case. He relaxed a little, seeing his sister come out of the darkness.

"Yukina..." he trailed.

She smiled at him, "Hello brother."

Hiei's eyes widened. He was ready to kill whoever told her.

"No one told me. I just figured it out. It wasn't hard after all. I know it had been hard for you to accept your life, and I know you just wanted to protect me. But that's okay, I forgive you. I wish that things would have been different, and we could have gotten to know each other better," she looked kind of sad. But she smiled warmly at him again, "But it's okay. We have lots of time, right?"

Hiei didn't know what to think. He was so shocked at what he was hearing. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. This couldn't be, he was just in the middle of fighting. Had it ended already? It just wasn't possible.

"Hn. You are mistaken."

Yukina smiled sadly, "You're so devoted. I'm happy that we finally have the time. Maybe you can even teach me to fight? I don't want you to spend your life worrying about me all the time."

"Foolish girl. Go back to the temple and play, I have no sister."

"It's okay, Hiei. I know the truth."

Hiei was skeptical, but he could never really push her away completely.

...

Yusuke woke up in his father's castle. He looked around with a confused look on his face, and then realized where he was. He got up slowly, rubbing his head. Felt like he got hit so hard it dummied him.

"Little too hard for you, son?" he saw Raizen standing before him.

Yusuke smirked, "I'm just getting started," and then he ran at his father. Raizen stood tall, ready to battle with his son. They fought, a smile on his face the whole time. It was maybe a few hours before they stopped, breathless. Yusuke was laughing with his father, enjoying the time he spent with him

"Yusuke," he heard Keiko's voice call to him.

"You better go now, we'll meet again tomorrow," said Raizen, leaving the room. Yusuke was so happy with himself, he practically ran to Keiko.

...

Kurama was shocked, waking up at his home in his mother's house. The sun was shining in the window, and he noticed that San laid there next to him, sleeping peacefully. He frowned at the sight of her. They were just in battle, and now they're here? What was going on? She looked so content and peaceful next to him, and it made his heart melt. But none of this made sense. He shook her gently, trying to wake her up.

"Mm. Sleep," she spoke softly. He smiled, but continued his efforts, "What?" she asked, sleepy eyes looking up at him.

"What happened?" he asked then.

She frowned at him, "What are you talking about?"

"Where's Hiroki?"

"You don't remember? We killed him ages ago. Are you okay?"

Kurama blinked, "I don't remember."

"That's okay. It's not really worth remembering," she replied, snuggling into the bed and returning to her sleep. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. All his thoughts were distracted when he felt her hand pull him back down to the bed. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She kissed him, laying happily in his embrace.

"What day is it?"

"I don't know. I never keep track of the days."

"Not even the time?"

"What is time to a wolf?"

Kurama smiled at her. Still, he knew there was something amiss here. How had he gone from fighting to this in the blink of an eye? She kissed him then, and all his previous thoughts vanished. He pulled her close, falling under the spell that is San. She was so soft and warm, and he felt foolish for ever doubting her words.

...

Moriko left her mother's embrace to look upon her den. Her children each had their own rooms, her mother had one as well. She was surprised to see her father there, as well as her aunt Sumiko. She couldn't believe it, but she was sure that all these of her past had vanished. She kept wandering her den, reliving her life now.

"Sister," Akatsuki spoke from behind. Moriko turned to her little brother, and instantly knew from the sight of him that this was wrong.

"This can't be real..." she trailed. She felt her mate put an arm around her.

"It is, koishii. Everything you've ever wanted is here," he spoke softly in her ear.

"No, it's not right. My mother, father, aunt and brother are both dead. This isn't real, Youko."

He looked into her tawny eyes confused, "Are you not happy, beloved?"

"I... I am. But this just isn't possible."

"It's not, I'm glad that one of you have figured it out," said a new voice to the room. Moriko gasped, seeing that everything had frozen, and there stood Koenma.

"Koenma. What's going on?"

"It's Hiroki's power. He's trapped you all in what you really desire. Yusuke and Kuwabara are too deep. Hiei and Kurama have had some suspicion, but they all have died. I was hoping that you would at least see through this lie."

"It was Akatsuki. I have been mourning his death for years, there is no way that he could really be here."

"I understand. You nearly fell in though."

"What do I do to get out of here?"

"You need to wake up. I suggest using some of your untapped power."

"What do you mean?"

"You still have yet to realize the power you keep inside. Once your awake, you can conquer your powers. The moon is out, so you should be at full strength."

"Understood. Thank you, Koenma."

He nodded, and then disappeared. Moriko looked around the room, everything still going as if Koenma had never appeared. Moriko looked around, smiling sadly. She hugged her mother, father, brother, aunt, and children. Finally, she came to her mate, kissing him and fighting the spell that came over her. His golden eyes were so confused, but she ignored them. She would see him soon. Beginning to charge her dark powers, she forced herself into consciousness.

...

She woke up, realizing she was stuck in a crystal casing. She looked around, seeing the others there as well. She charged her powers, feeling the moon lend her the strength she needed. She broke out of her prison, glowing with her dark energy and saw her enemy there.

"But how?" exclaimed Hiroki.

"You are a fool, Hiroki. You cannot keep your facts straight. Did you really think that I would fall for such a foolish trick?" said Moriko, her tawny eyes filled with hate.

"You are only delaying your death, your Majesty."

"I think it is you who fears me. You know what I can do, and you know that you do not have the power to stop me."

"The power resides in him, and I know what happens when he awakens it," he said, pointing to his mate.

"Why, thank you for reminding me," Moriko smiled maliciously. She charged her powers once more, releasing her friends from their state. They fell to the ground with an audible thud. Moriko lowered herself slowly to the ground, her eyes never leaving her enemy. He too, was on the ground with her. The others were waking up, realizing what had happened.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Kuwabara, getting to his feet.

"It appears that Hiroki had trapped us in our own desires," said Youko venomously.

"Hn. A dirty trick, but I have some of my own," said Hiei, unsheathing his sword once more.

"I knew it was too good to be true," growled Yusuke.

"Now prepare yourself, Hiroki. Your tricks will no longer work. Pray for yourself, for your end is now," said Moriko.


	72. The Final Battle

Moriko had powered up. She had successfully seen through Hiroki's illusions of things she really wished would still be or would go in her life. She had freed the others from their prison as well. The moon was out, she was in full power now. All she needed to do was goad her mate into unleashing his power, so that she could finally defeat her enemy. Hiroki would be sealed at least, and she would lose her life. But her life was nothing if everyone died. She knew that this was the only choice that could be made, and she was going to make sure she did whatever possible to save the lives that rested on her shoulders. They had at least weakened him a little bit. Enough that he wasn't giant sized anyway. But there was still the question of how they were going to survive long enough to get the power they needed.

Hiei's jagan was wide open, his power over the dragon at full. Yusuke's demon and spirit energy was charged and ready. Kuwabara's spirit sword had an interesting glow to it, his powers fully awakened. Youko was preparing his death whip once more, feeling the power inside ready to burst. Moriko stood with him, feeling the powers of light and dark within her. If she could combine both of them, she knew she'd be a force to reckon with. She smiled slightly, feeling her mate's hand within hers. He was ready, as were all of them.

Yusuke was first, firing his spirit gun and then following through with his rapid punches. Kuwabara was next, lunging at his opponent and attacking with his spirit sword. Hiroki was doing well fending them both off, taking all their hits with minimal pain. But that's when the dragon came. Hiei unleashed his attack while wielding his weapon at the demon. Youko moved and Moriko jumped with him. She utilized her powers to attack, Youko using his death whip. This was one way of combining light and dark, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be enough yet.

Hiroki used an energy burst not unlike the one of the wolf, pushing his enemies away further than they wanted to be. It was much stronger than Moriko ever hoped to be, and she struggled to her own feet. Her mate was there, his golden eyes upon her. He knew that they had to continue to fight, knew that she had something on her mind. But he couldn't ask her at this point, the fight being more important than questions. He saw the others slowly rise, but they could not get to their feet.

"Damnit!" Yusuke gritted between his teeth, his head down.

"I'm... okay..." said Kuwabara, collapsing back onto the ground.

"You guys look like you need a break," said Koenma. Hiroki then began to emanate power so high, Moriko thought she would faint at the feel of it. Koenma had erected a barrier around them, the power going off in all directions.

"When did you get here?" asked Yusuke.

"About the same time he trapped you in your own dreams," replied Koenma, looking as if he was having trouble with his shield.

"So how do we beat this punk?"

"I don't know."

Moriko sighed, staring at her mate. He was focused on the enemy, and she knew he was plotting, thinking every little detail over. He didn't know he had the power, didn't know what he was capable of. She had to figure out how to bring it out of him. She was just hoping she could stay alive long enough for it to work. Taking in a breath, she used her demon speed, out of the barrier and to face Hiroki.

-Keep him in there until he's ready to unleash his powers- Moriko spoke to Koenma with her mind. She didn't wait for a response, she instead began her attack. She couldn't make it look like it was on purpose, or else she wasn't sure if it would work the same.

Hiroki had greater speed than Hiei, his attacks swift and powerful. Moriko cried out in pain, catching a glimpse of the others trying to get out and help her. She lifted herself off the ground once more. She charged up, trying to harness some of the powers of light to combine with the dark. She wasn't fast enough, nor was this a good time to experiment. Hiroki attacked again, and she screamed once more.

Youko's ears filled with her screams. His body ached from her pain mixed with his own. He was growling as he watched his koishii do battle with this demon. The others could barely move, the power loss too great. Either that, or they were filled with shock at what was going on before them. The fox fought with his feet, trying to get back on them and do something. His energy was too low, he was completely useless. He couldn't bear to watch, but his eyes would not move from her. She would die if she continued, but he knew that she would gladly die trying. He didn't want that, but he couldn't figure out a way to stop this power. He felt something burning against his neck, and absently itched at it.

...

_She hunts in the night, the moon high. She is searching for something, something she cannot leave without. She knows the traps laid around the perimeter, but continues on her hunt. She can no longer sense the rest of her pack, but she knows they will stick to the plan laid out by her mate. She feels pain across her chest, but it is only of minor inconvenience. She presses on, the goal clear in her mind. She knows she can do this, it being her first mission with the new pack. She knows they do not trust her, but she does not care for them, only her mate. They will listen only because he is pack leader, and she will make sure it stays that way._

_She comes to the last cavern, knowing her prey lies there. She is not concerned about anything else, only the mission. She treads carefully, and avoids anything that could hinder her cause. She finally finds what she is searching for, and smiles. She takes her treasure and uses her speed to get out. She howls once, the signal for the rest to leave. She runs to the spot that they meet, and waits for the others. She is surprised to see the second in command arrive first._

_"Give up so easily, bitch?" Yomi speaks to her._

_She smirks at him, ignoring his term, "I have gained what we desired."_

_He scoffs, not believing she had completed the task so fast, "There's no way. Show me."_

_"I will await my mate, and he will be the first to see."_

_"I am second in command, meaning pack leader when he is not around."_

_"Second in command is nothing to a wolf. Only the pack leader is."_

_"You foolish b-"_

_"Yomi," she hears her mate behind the beast in front of her. She sees his face is stern, his arms crossed. The demon holds his tongue, and moves away for the pack leader to approach his mate, "What happened, beloved?"_

_"I have found what you were hunting for," she tells him, handing the artifact over, "Does it please you?"_

_"Yes, koishii," he whispers, looking into her tawny eyes. She smiles at him, and then they sit, awaiting the arrival of the rest of the pack._

...

_He looks over at his beloved, as they run from a raid they had made on their own. She had found something of interest to him during her night time hunt, and he knew that the two of them would be fine without the rest of the pack. Her skills improved drastically, and he could not be more proud of her. She was faster than him, as always. He saw his mark glow as she ran, and he catches up to her to lead her back to the rest of the pack._

_He takes a detour first, his hand firmly holds her as he does so. She looks confused, but smiles, liking the idea of a new game. He keeps the treasure clutched in his hand, as the other occupies only hers. She keeps her pace behind him, knowing it would do no good to be ahead of him. He stops then, a clearing in the forest he takes her through. Her eyes glow when she catches the moon, and he smiles at the sight of her._

_She drinks in the moon, all conscious thought forgotten. A smile plays on her lips as she stares into her source of power. She is taken from her thoughts when she feels his hand squeeze hers. She looks up into those golden eyes and feels overcome with love for her kitsune. He shows her nothing but pure love and adoration, and she cannot contain herself any longer. She pulls him in for a kiss, loving the feeling of his touch. He drops his treasure, and pulls her closer to close the gap that existed between them._

_"You are most beautiful, beloved," he tells her softly._

_She smiles and kisses him once more, "We should head back soon."_

_"Yomi can handle things. I wish to spend the time with you, koishii."_

_"I enjoy our time."_

_"As do I," she leans her head onto his shoulder, "We have all eternity."_

_"Yes. I love you."_

_"I love you my precious kitsune."_

...

Moriko could see her life in front of her eyes. She was so weak and powerless right now. But she knew she had to press on, she knew that she couldn't stop. She struggled to her feet, her knees shaking at having to hold up her own weight.

"Moriko!" she heard her mate call to her. She ignored him, knowing that he hadn't realized the power he kept within.

"Damnit San you're going to get yourself killed!" Yusuke yelled at her.

"Why won't you stop her?" demanded Kuwabara.

"I don't have the energy to contain the power of an SS class demon," replied Koenma, his eyes trouble as he watched the wolf fight their enemy.

"SS?"

Koenma nodded, "She's been emitting the power of a double S class demon. She's the only one I've ever seen to have that kind of ranking. Nothing in the history of the world has ever become that powerful."

"And yet, it still seems to be weak and powerless," said Hiei, his eyes never leaving the site before him.

Youko was furious. Every hit she took, every attempt to gain more strength made his heart wretch. He could feel every ounce of her pain, and despite her ranking in Makai, it just wasn't enough to defeat their enemy. He wished he could do something, he knew there had to be more power within him. There was nothing he could do but sit here and watch his beloved be destroyed right in front of his eyes. He couldn't live with that, he wouldn't. There had to be a way, and if she was going to continue to fight, so would he. It didn't matter if they won, so long as they were together.

He began to rise to his feet, fighting as hard as he could to try something to help his mate. Her scream was echoing over the sound of wind and rain, and it only fueled his anger more. His golden eyes narrowed and his jaw set, he began to power up with energy he never knew he had. It had a soft white glow to it, making it hard to focus on him.

Moriko pulled herself to her feet, feeling her mate all around her. Koenma's barrier was gone, and she could see that he was finally completing her vision.

"No!" she heard Hiroki protest. She smiled then, knowing that this is what the demon feared. She walked towards her mate, not wanting him to unleash the power. Anything around him would normally be destroyed on the spot. But not her. She walked right into his power, and held out her hand. She closed her tawny eyes, feeling the energy being fed right into her.

She could feel Hiroki try to attack, but she knew that it wouldn't penetrate the power around her. Utilizing the skills she had learned from her mentor, Genkai, she absorbed all of her mate's power, the most powerful demon of the light she had ever encountered. She felt completely regenerated, and knew that now, she had the power to put a stop to all of this foolishness. She opened her eyes, seeing her mate had dropped to his knees. She smiled sadly, walking over to him. She put a hand on his shoulder, and she looked into his golden eyes.

She got on her knees, and pushed the hair out of his face. She kept her hands on either side of his head, lost in a trance with him. He put his hands on top of hers, his eyes curious by her actions. Finally, she pulled him in for a kiss. It was soft and warm, and she savoured it, knowing it would be their last. She takes in his features, and then leaves him. His touch lingers on her body, as she shed's a tear on her way to her destiny.

"Moriko..." his voice stops her, and she turns to look at him.

"Ai shiteru," she whispers, knowing that he heard her. She can't take that look in his eyes, and turns her back to him once more. Before she can be stopped again, she runs at demon speed completely out of earshot. She reaches her enemy, stopping before him and letting the final part of battle begin. There was no coming back from this one, and Moriko could tell that he knew it too. This was the end.

"Are you ready to die, Hiroki?" she asks in a smug voice.

"We both know that you cannot kill me, Majesty. I will be back," replied Hiroki.

"No matter how many times you come back, you will be stopped."

"I will win Moriko. Maybe not this time now that you have his power, but you will not survive this encounter, and that power will die with you. I will return, and everything you have fought for today will be a complete waste."

"We shall see," said Moriko. The two of them rose into the air. Hiroki knew his fate, and began to power up every last ounce of his energy. Moriko followed suit, feeling the light energy of her mate, combining it with her own, and the dark energy within her. The clouds around them began to swirl, the Ningenkai completely unstable with these powers at such an uneven balance. It could only handle so much, and they both knew that they couldn't let this happen for too much longer.

"Amazing, she's harnessing the powers of light and dark!" exclaimed Koenma.

"She's... winning..." said Kuwabara.

"Kick his ass San!" yelled Yusuke to her.

"Her power..." trailed Hiei.

"Koishii..." Youko stared in awe. He had a feeling that this wasn't going to be good.

The two demons were high above them in the air. The power coming from both ready to kill anything weaker than what they were. Moriko was ready, having only one regret. She wished she was able to spend the eternity with her mate. But this was better than an eternity in the after life. At least he would be able to fulfill his human dreams, and that was the most she could give him.

"Void of Darkness!" bellowed Hiroki, unleashing his power.

"Purified Light!" cried Moriko, her power heading directly towards the demon. They clashed, as she assumed they would. His power was still too strong, but she held up her end nicely. She wasn't going to quit, not until her vision was completed, or this demon was dead. She knew she couldn't kill him, but it never hurt to hope. Perhaps there was a variable she didn't see, but she wasn't going to put her hope into it.

The power was strong, but Moriko's light seemed to be pulling through. It was bright, and they had to shield their eyes. It wasn't like they could see anything anyway, and they could feel the energy pushing them back. Youko could feel the power of his mate, and knew that there was no possible way that they could lose now. So why did he feel like there was something wrong?

Moriko screamed, using every ounce of her strength to keep the enemy's attack at bay. She had to win, just had to. She could finally feel it, his energy disappearing. She was breaking through, and that proved to be a good sign. But then his power came back in full force, and she wasn't sure that she could hold it back any longer. But she had to, this was completing her vision. She could feel herself getting weaker. She felt the full extent of Hiroki's power hit her, just as she knew that she no longer was giving in anymore power. She could hear him scream. She closed her eyes, smiling at her last thought, Youko Kurama...

The others were watching, pretty much forgetting to breathe. When the power of their attacks died and the hits finally made, everything was encased in a white and blinding light. They all had to close their eyes and look away, it was too strong. When the light finally did disappear, Youko noticed a couple of things. One, they were nowhere to be seen, two, the rain had stopped, and three, he was no longer in demon form. Kurama looked up at the sky and noticed the clouds disappearing, the sun beginning to rise into the now clear blue sky.


	73. Saying Farewell

The sky was blue, and the sun was rising. It created the most perfect scenery. But none of them cared about that at the moment. They had just watched the most powerful struggle, and now were wondering what had happened to the two demons that fought high overhead of them. The power that came from them was like nothing any of them had ever seen before. It took a few moments to realize what had happened when it was all over, but all the wonder was finally gone.

Kurama stared at the spot in the sky he had watched his mate do battle with Hiroki. They both weren't there, but he had no idea where they could have gone. He was in such utter shock, he couldn't find his feet to go move. The reason he was like that, he couldn't feel his mate whatsoever. Not a single force of her life energy could be felt, and it made his heart heavy, his body full of chills. He had never noticed how much of her energy resided within him, until he couldn't feel it. He didn't want to believe it, but what choice did he have? It was the exact same feeling he had when Genkai had passed. He couldn't feel the force of his mate anywhere, and he didn't want to find out if his suspicions were correct.

"Did... did we finally win?" asked Kuwabara, looking around at the others.

"I... think so," said Yusuke unsure of himself.

"San gave everything she had. If Hiroki isn't here still it's safe to confirm that he really is beaten," said Koenma.

"Hn. I don't trust it," said Hiei.

Kurama ignored all of them, finally able to take a step. He walked, her scent fresh in his nostrils. He had to find her, had to make sure she was alright. But as he took each step closer, he knew he was only getting closer and closer to the truth he didn't want to confirm. He didn't know what happened to the others, but he had to find San, and had to do it now.

The forest floor was covered in rain, but the clearing was made from the force of such power. The radius was huge, farther than the eye could see. The sun was rising higher and higher, but still, there was no San in sight. She wasn't far, that much he knew. He could still smell her, and she didn't smell dead. So why was it that he couldn't feel her at all? He heard something in the distance. It was the sound of a long and sorrowful howl. He narrowed his green orbs in thought. It was strange for a wolf to be out this early, and that howl didn't come from the same direction of his mate. It had to have been the wild wolves in the forest near the temple, but why would they be up this early?

He pressed on, trying not to analyze what the wolves were trying to tell him. He knew that the train of thinking that would come from it all would just be what he suspected had happened. He was getting closer, he knew that. He could hear someone trailing behind him, but he didn't care. It didn't feel hostile, so he completely ignored it. He could see the shine of her sun touched hair in the distance. Only a little closer. He dropped to his knees, taking her head into his lap. She was cold, oh so cold, her skin pale.

"San..." his vision blurred with the tears that threatened to fall. He shook her a little, "Koi... wake up..." He knew it was useless. She remained completely unresponsive. He hugged her cold corpse tightly, the tears falling freely. She was dead, sacrificed herself to save the world. And yet, he didn't care about the rest of the world. If she was alive and they all died, the hell with it. So long as she was safe in his arms...

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and could smell Yusuke, "I'm sorry..." he trailed. This boy was close to his mate, that Kurama knew. He knew that Yusuke would feel sorrow for her as well.

"Is she...?" Kurama could hear Kuwabara, "No... not San..."

Kurama's eyes were kept shut, the tears falling onto her sun touched hair. He could only see her, the human and the demon, the smiling face and the warmth she offered. He could smell her, feel her soft skin. He was mating with her, holding her close and never letting go. But it all came to an end when he opened his eyes and the still form of her was in his arms. She was gone, for good this time. Those gorgeous tawny eyes were locked away with her, and he knew that he would never see them again.

"What will you do?" asked Hiei. The small fire demon was standing before him, his jagan closed and his red eyes focused on the sight before him.

"I..." Kurama hadn't thought that far ahead yet. His emotions were completely gone, and he couldn't think at all.

"This could have happened in battle, and you would be rendered useless. Think now, fox, lest her death be a complete waste."

"Hiei! You don't talk like that to someone who just lost their lover!" declared Kuwabara outraged.

"Yeah! San was important to you too, no matter how much you deny it," said Yusuke, "I gotta say though, the bastard does have a point..."

"Hey! Who's side are you on?"

Yusuke scratched the back of his head, "Well, since I'm half and half, I suppose I'm on both," and he laughed a little nervously.

"Getting to the point. Kurama, you need to do something with her body before the ravagers come for it. You know what they'll do," Koenma stepped in.

They were all right. He had to do something before they attracted all the attention of the wrong kind. But where would he put her? By technicality, she was the Queen of the Wolf Clan, and her body belonged with them. But he wasn't going to bring her back there. After she left, he knew that she never wanted to go back to them. Hearing another sorrowful howl, he rose with her body, his decision finally made.

"I will take her to the wolves in the forest. There is no better guard than them," said Kurama, turning to the others. Nobody really knew what to say, they just sat there with sorrowful looks on their faces. It was hard losing someone you cared about, but the rest of them had no idea what it was like to lose someone destined to spend eternity with you, and then have that all taken away. Letting out a small sigh, the tears finally stopping, he took off a demon speed, towards the dwelling of the wild wolves.

...

"I'm perfectly capable of doing this myself," Kurama told the fire demon that was lurking behind him in the trees. He had made it to the edge of the wild wolves' territory, and waited, just as his mate had showed him to do. The small fire apparition had stalked him the whole time, that Kurama knew. He couldn't help but wonder why, but chose not to question it.

"Hn. How will you speak to the wolves?" asked Hiei.

"Very well," said Kurama. He knew that Hiei was making up that excuse, that no words really needed to be said. But he wasn't about to stop anyone who wanted to see his mate was safe.

He sat and waited on the edge of the territory for the wolves to come and get him. He wasn't expecting them to be so quick, knowing that it was too early in the day for them to be out in the first place. But nevertheless, here was the pack leader and his mate, greeting him Kurama was sure, in the ways of the wolves. Kurama stood slowly and bowed respectfully.

"I wish to find a place for my mate to rest. I wish for her to be guarded well and safe from anything around that means her harm. I wish to place that care unto you, if you shall receive it," Kurama spoke softly, keeping his eyes with the pack leader. When his words were spoken, he looked down at his mate, and picked her up. She was so cold, it made his heart wretch.

"They wish for us to follow them," said Hiei. Kurama nodded, walking a safe distance behind the pack leader. The wolves could be easily taken down if necessary, but Kurama wasn't going to allow that. He would protect their territory in honour of his mate, who he wished was still alive to do it for him. The wolves didn't look back, but they had a keen sense, and knew that the two demons were still there.

It seemed like a long journey, but they finally arrived to the only birch tree Kurama had ever seen within the forest. He could smell her scent faintly, despite all the moisture around them. He sighed, looking into her face. He placed her down there, and used his demon speed to dig the hole. He picked her up gently once more, kissing her forehead.

"I love you, San. I'll be joining you soon..." he whispered to her. He placed her into the dirt, and then began to cover her up. Tears escaped his eyes, and the two wolves at his side howled one last time before leaving him alone. Hiei remained, however, and Kurama wasn't exactly sure why. There was no need for him to be here, and the fox rather doubted the fire apparition would return to the temple with him. Kurama stood tall, the sun getting closer to night already. Time had passed by so fast, and a lot of the forest had dried up. But it would take a while before that happened. Hiei had gone, so there was nothing else for the fox to do besides return to _her _home.

...

Kurama returned to the temple, and it had taken him the rest of the day to do it. The moon was out, the skies completely clear. He could feel it beckon to him, but he completely ignored it. That was something only _she _could make him do. The others had already informed Genkai of what had happened, that Kurama was sure of. The old woman didn't speak a word to him as he passed by, nor did any of them. He respected that, not wanting to be around anyone at the moment.

He walked directly into _her _room and closed the door behind him. He looked around, noting the bed was unmade and there were some clothes littering the floor. He cleaned up in there, knowing that it would do no good to leave it a mess. He opened the door to the garden, and pulled down the tarp. He fed whatever he could, but the darkness plants would die. Walking around the garden, he came to the Dragonite tree, the sacred bond created by both of them.

It would kill him in time, and he would gladly accept that invitation. Without _her _around to help him feed it, his fate was sealed. He knew that _she _would kick him back to life if he even thought about taking his own. He knew that _she _would be terribly disappointed when they would finally meet again if he didn't do everything he could to maintain _her _surroundings. He shed a tear, looking up in the moon, finally giving into its call.

He could only see his beloved in it, knowing that this is what _she _would be doing if it were still possible. He wasn't even sure he could be out at all, the moon calling to him and the sun reminding him of _her _hair. But he had to, there was no other option. He closed his green orbs, calming the beast that laid within. He made one decision, his heart filled with regret and sorrow. He gave one last thought, before he would return home to his mother.

_I will never be Youko again..._

...

you all hate me.. right?


	74. Epilogue

oh, if only i could see your faces when you discovered this piece of surprise! i totally know that none of you were expecting another chapter to a finished story. i did warn you that this was possible. now that i have your attention i would like to point out that i have gone through every chapter of this adventure and edited it. fixed mistakes and added some extras here and there.. if you find anything that doesn't make sense, please let me know, i want this to be perfection if i can make it so. thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and please don't forget, the adventure continues in The Key.

...

A year later and he hadn't moved. It sure didn't feel like a year, felt like it was only yesterday. He barely ate, didn't talk to anyone who bothered coming into _her _room and trying. He didn't want to talk, he just wanted _her _back. He didn't even know what they were telling his mother. How was he going to account for being gone for so long? He supposed he would just have to figure it out. Either that, or he would die here. What difference would his life make now? _She_ was gone, the only purpose in his life taken away because he wasn't strong enough.

He had gone over the battle over and over again in his head. The power _she_ emitted, he knew that it came from within himself. _She_ took it, and he would never have an answer as to why _she _felt it was necessary. Sure, he had his life, could be with his mother, but what _she _didn't ever consider when _she _made a decision like this was the true effect it would have on him. He was devastated, would drift through life with no real meaning or purpose. What kind of life was that? Stupid bitch, should think more about other people than _herself_.

Being angry didn't work either. Deep down, he knew that those thoughts were wrong. He stared at the Dragonite plant, it's leaves still going well despite the other side. The tree had grown so much since they had planted it, and they were wrapping around each other like a lover's embrace. It was something he would never feel again. A tear slid down his face. _Koishii..._

"You're pathetic," said Hiei, sitting on top of the roof of the temple. Kurama remained unresponsive, "Look at you, sniveling like a child. You're weak, at least she's not here to see that," still, Kurama didn't move, "You can sit there all you want, she's never coming back," nothing. Hiei jumped down, standing in front of where the fox sat, "It's good that she's dead. She never had to see the truth about you. A pathetic and weak loser, couldn't even protect his own mate."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" screamed Kurama, pinning Hiei against the Dragonite. His green orbs portrayed hatred for this small fire demon. One more word, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill his own friend.

Hiei just smirked, "About time you moved."

"What do you want Hiei?"

"To wake up and think, Kurama! Sitting here and wallowing in your useless sorrow is doing nothing to benefit anyone. You think she would want you to just sit around here?! If she were here-"

"If she were here. But she is not, now leave me in peace," said Kurama, turning his back on Hiei.

"You cannot honour her this way. Go live your useless human life like she would have wanted, like she sacrificed herself for. In the history of Makai never has there been more devotion than the two of you. Even in death, she submits to you. Make her proud, or I'll have to kill you," and Hiei left after those words.

Kurama balled his fists at his side. Hiei was right, that was for sure. The moon was out and he could swear he heard the whisper of his name. He looked up, despite the tears in his eyes. _Her _face resided in that glow. He wished that he didn't see it, but knew that he always would. He smiled sadly, wiping the tears from his eyes. The mourning would never end, but he was going to do everything in his power to make _her _proud when they were finally together again. He opened the door to his bedroom, all traces of sorrow from his face gone. He left the temple, returning home to his mother. This life or the next, they would have their eternity.

_..._

want to find out what happens next? tune into the key! it is the sequel to this story!

and so it ends here :(, but only for now. there will be more kurama and san, oh yes. thank you so much to everyone who was apart of this, to everyone who kept me going. i love you all, and that is why i've decided to continue on with the sequel. please meet me there, and we'll continue the adventure together. until then, i hope you enjoyed part 1

rain0205


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